The Call of Destiny
by Jessica LaRae
Summary: Harry Potter; looks like a boy, dresses like a boy, must be a boy. Right? girl!harry, utilitarian!dumbledore eventual 'slash'
1. Prologue

The Call of Destiny

by Jessica Larae

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Prologue

"One last push, Lils." James Potter stood at his wife's head, holding her hand, wincing when she squeezed his hand; his wife had already broken it once tonight. James smiled at her, and at Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey at the foot of his and his wife's bed.

Lily was crying, saying she was too tired to push any more. "Just a little more," James reassured her. "Our baby is almost here." They had decided to wait until the birth to see the gender of their little treasure. Lily wanted a miniature James, and James wanted a little Lily. They had names picked out for their child; Harry, if it was a boy, after Lily's recently departed father, and Daisy if it were a girl. James had liked Harry while he had been alive, even if he didn't like Lily's sister, her parents were great, and even though Lily and Petunia didn't get along, Lily liked the tradition of naming the daughters on her mother's side after flowers. Her mother, Rose, and grandmother, Violet, had told her about several of her ancestors, and the last few generations had flower daughters, and Lily wanted to hold onto that tradition.

With one final push, the baby was free. "It's a…" Poppy Pomfrey froze and Dumbledore finished without a beat between them.

"Boy! Congratulations, children."

"Thank you, Headmaster Dumbledore." James beamed at the headmaster.

"Now, now, James, none of that. You know my name is Albus." His eyes twinkled with mirth at the birth of their savior.

Poppy smiled and cleaned the child up, checked that he was healthy, and handed him to his proud parents.

"Hello, Harry." Lily smiled and brushed her finger over his cheek.

James had tears in his eyes, "Our little Harry James."

Poppy was busy noting the date and time of birth with a smile when Sirius came barreling through the door with Remus on his tail. The Potters were worried about their werewolf friend, knowing that he had spent some time with another Pack that had connections with the Dark Lord. It wasn't as though they distrusted him, but weren't sure whose side he was on.

"What is it? Is it a boy or a girl?" Sirius had been named godfather to their child, and was as exuberant as a seven-year-old sibling. "What's its name?"

"That 'it' is my child, Padfoot, your god-child!" James teased his best friend; his chosen brother.

Sirius sighed dramatically and sat down on the bed beside Lily, giving her a kiss on the cheek and looking at the little face that picked out. Dark blue eyes stared up at him.

"Who is this then?" He smiled at the baby.

"Padfoot, Moony, I'd like to introduce you to Harry James Potter." Sirius grinned and looked up at his other best friend.

"It's a boy?" He asked excitedly. "It's a boy!"

He jumped up off the bed and danced around the room. "I've got a godson!" He started laughing, and hugged Remus. He then ran around to the other side and picked James up off of the bed in a huge hug that squeezed the air out of the other man. He ran up to Albus and said proudly, "I have a godson! His name is Harry!"

The other family members in the room laughed at Harry's godfather's antics. "Wormtail should be here. He's missing me having a godson!"

Lily chuckled tiredly, "I had nothing to do with it, obviously." She smiled at her husband's best friend, and her surrogate brother-in-law.

Sirius sat down with a serious look on his face. "Thank you, Lily, for giving me a beautiful godson."

James laughed and slapped the back of Sirius' head, "Get away from my wife, you mongrel, she just had my baby."

Poppy took a look at the proud new parents and began to usher the other men out of the room. "Alright, enough. The new parents need their rest. You can come back in the morning to visit."

Albus paused at the door, and addressed the medi-witch. "I'll see you at Hogwarts this evening." He then turned to smile at the family, "Congratulations, children. You have a beautiful child."

Sirius showed Albus to the living room and opened the fireplace for him. "Thank you for coming, Headmaster."

Albus clapped Sirius on the shoulder, "As I've told you many times, son, please call me Albus."

"Thank you, Albus." Sirius smiled and offered the box of floo powder to the older man.

"I hope to see you both again soon." He twinkled at them, and with a call to "Hogwarts: Headmaster's Quarters" he was gone.

Remus and Sirius smiled at each other and went to the guest room on the ground floor for a few hours of sleep until Sirius could see his godson again, and perhaps this time get to hold him…

Meanwhile, miles away at Hogwarts, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore was slumped behind his desk wondering if the actions he took were ethical. Albus Dumbledore could not deny that he was not a utilitarian. He believed that the greatest good for the greatest number was the way of life, but condemning an infant to the fate of Lord Voldemort.

Had Albus Dumbledore not interfered, Harry James Potter would be Daisy Lily Potter and Sirius Black would have a goddaughter tonight instead. But he knew that if Voldemort went after the only other child the prophecy could mean, more people than necessary would die, and Voldemort, the pureblood fanatic he was, also had sexist tendencies. He would kill the Longbottoms, and the Potters because he could. No girl could defeat him, in Voldemort's opinion anyway. Hiding Harry, as a boy, was the only option he had.

"I will tell them after this fiasco is over." He told himself.

Eleven years later, Albus sat at Harry's side in the infirmary and said to himself, "I will tell him when he's old enough."

3/986

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Short A/N: That's the Prologue for The Call of Destiny, Chapter One will be up whenever I get Chapter Three complete (look for the author note in the website linked on my profile page: callofdestiny./ and feel free to friend the insanejournal if you have one!).

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	2. Chapter One

Chapter One

16 years later

Harry was sitting at his desk at midnight on his sixteenth birthday, frowning slightly when Hedwig came in without any presents for him. He wasn't really looking for toys or broom cleaning equipment, but the food Molly Weasley always sent. He was hoping that she would send him something he could hide in the loose floorboard under his bed and eat when the Dursley's weren't paying attention.

Pigwidgeon had come earlier with a letter from Ron and Hermione wishing him a Happy Birthday, and saying that they'd see him soon. They also said something about understanding how he missed Sirius, but that things would get better soon. Harry didn't believe that they understood, or could ever understand, what he was going through. He wasn't angry with them for trying to cheer him up though. He was angry that he couldn't get over the feeling of losing someone else close to him. He convinced himself that he should never let anyone get close to him again, and would begin pushing Ron and Hermione away and avoiding them for their on good. At least, that's what he was telling himself when a knock came on his bedroom door.

Harry looked up and at the door. No one knocked on it. If they wanted to come in, which was rare, they just came in, hoping to catch Harry wielding his freaky magic so they could kick him out. He looked at the white door curiously and stood.

"Uh… you can come in?" He had no clue what to say. He couldn't open the door himself, obviously, because there were still locks on his door to keep him in, and away from the family that had full rein of the rest of the house.

He stood at the door and waited as he heard an "_Alohamora_" and saw the purple robes of the white haired Headmaster.

"Professor?" Harry asked looking at Dumbledore. He gave the older man a thin smile, and stood up a little straighter in his hand-me-down clothes. He wanted to run and give the man a hug, but he was a sixteen-year-old young man, it wouldn't be proper.

Dumbledore, however, strode forward and pressed a hand onto the young man's shoulder. "Happy Birthday, Harry. How does it feel to be another year older?" His face had a cheerful smile and his eyes twinkled at the sixteen-year-old.

"The same as it did a few days ago, I'm afraid." His tone was a little sad, because he knew Dumbledore wasn't here just to wish him a Happy Birthday. "What can I do for you, sir?"

"For me? Nothing, my child, nothing. I have come to collect you for the rest of the summer. I assume you would like to spend the rest of your holidays with your friends." Dumbledore smiled.

He was concerned at the state of the teen before him, coupled with the locks on the door. Of course he knew of the neglect and abuse Harry suffered at the hands of his Aunt, Uncle and cousin, but knew there was no alternative until Harry was seventeen, he had taken care of the monster Voldemort, once and for all, and started his last year of Hogwarts. He hated that he couldn't do more until then, but the blood wards restricted anything he could think of doing. If he allowed the Weasley's to adopt him as they wished, it would forfeit the blood wards and Harry would not be protected. As it was, the blood that Voldemort had stolen for his revival already had the wards in compromise. He knew he had failed the child before him, but all he could do was make sure Harry was as happy as possible.

"Is everything in this room or do you have other objects throughout the house?" He asked the boy before him.

"I have my trunk downstairs in the cupboard under the stairs, and the things in here."

Dumbledore smiled and patted him on the shoulder, "Pack your things up here and I'll retrieve your trunk from downstairs. If you would meet me in the living room after you pack? Also, there is no need to be quiet, as I've put a silencing charm over your Aunt and Uncle's room as well as your cousins. I'll come back tomorrow to inform them of your departure."

Harry nodded mutely and gathered his things in his small rucksack that Hermione had charmed to hold more than what was visible to the eye, and it included a feather-light charm as well. He checked around his room, looking for anything he missed, grabbed his photo album from the loose floorboard and put that and his invisibility cloak in his bag last.

He turned to his owl, and opened her cage and told her to meet him wherever Dumbledore would be taking him. He hoped it would not be Grimmauld Place. Hedwig gave him an affectionate hair pull and flew off his arm and out the window with a little hoot. Harry picked up the cage and scanned the room for the last time before going downstairs to meet the Headmaster of Hogwarts.

"Do you have everything?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry nodded and handed him Hedwig's cage to shrink. Harry put the cage and the already shrunken trunk into his pocket.

"We should be off, then." Albus Dumbledore opened an arm for Harry to put his arm around the Headmaster's waist, and they disapparated with a pop.

Harry's eyes opened when they landed. He hated apparating, portkeying, and flooing, but realized that it had to be done to get around easily. Harry decided that when he was on his own, he would buy a car, even if he could apparate, portkey or floo. After grounding himself, Harry looked up and noticed where he was. With a sense of dread, he looked into the eyes of the Headmaster, his heart shattering again at the memory of the man who had been trapped inside Number twelve, Grimmauld Place.

Harry hung back as Dumbledore walked up the stoop to Grimmauld Place and opened the door. "Come along, Harry." He said to the young man. Harry schooled his features and entered the dreaded abode…

"Great Harry Potter, sir!" An excited voice said from Harry's elbow, "Dobby is happy Harry Potter has come to Grimmauld Place! How can Dobby serve the Great Harry Potter?"

Harry smiled down at the exuberant house-elf, and put a hand on his head. "It's good to see you too, Dobby. What are you doing here though?"

"The great Headmaster Dumbledore has asked Dobby to serve at the very important Grimmauld Place for the witches and wizards who come during the summer, sir! Dobby hopes that Harry Potter will be happy with the surprise that the great Headmaster Dumbledore and the other witches and wizards have for Harry Potter." Dobby couldn't stand still as he told Harry about the surprise. When he realized that he had told Harry about the surprise, he began hitting his head on the wall. Dumbledore put his hand on his shoulder to stop his punishment.

"Dobby, if you would please take young Harry's things up to his room. Is everything prepared?"

"Yes, Headmaster Dumbledore, everything has been prepared by Dobby in the sitting room. Dobby will take Harry Potter's things up to Harry Potter's room, and Dobby will be back down to serve refreshments." Harry had a feeling that everyone was up for a birthday surprise, but he was not feeling up to it really.

"Headmaster, if you don't mind, I'd rather lie down…"

"Nonsense, child, surely you can spare a few minutes and join me in the sitting room for a cup of tea."

Dobby left the room with a pop, clutching Harry's belongings in his spindly fingers as Dumbledore ushered Harry into the closed sitting room off of the kitchen. He opened the door with a wordless wave of his wand, and colors and streamers came flying out of the room to assault Harry and Dumbledore in the hallway.

"Happy Birthday, Harry!" The occupants screamed and pulled the startled boy into the room. He was passed around and hugged by all the women, his hand was shook by all the men, and throughout the chaos, he realized that one Remus Lupin had not come to wish him a Happy Birthday. He gave Ron and Hermione a small smile, and they could see that he had noticed.

Fred and George came to show Harry a new joke they had created, and Ron stood up for just a moment, muttering something about getting a piece of cake, or going to the bathroom. Harry couldn't really hear him over the chattering of the people around him.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone enter the room from the kitchen that he did not expect. He stood up, and the room became silent around him. The man was limping a little, and looked beyond tired. Behind him, two other persons entered.

"Sirius…" Harry whispered.

Sirius Black almost looked worse than when he had escaped from Azkaban. Sirius faltered in his step, and held onto a chair to keep him up. Harry rushed forward to help him, a sob stuck in his throat.

Remus was there, holding Sirius up so he could hug his godson, who was almost as thin as the man who should be dead. Although Harry was as thin as Sirius, he was still able to hold the man up as he hugged him gently, but firmly.

He didn't notice as the others filed out of the room to give the two men privacy. The only people who didn't leave were Remus, Albus Dumbledore, and Severus Snape. Harry didn't even notice that his most hated Professor was watching this moment between godfather and son.

Huge sobs made their way out of Harry's chest. His heart was conflicted with the worry about the health of the man before him, the grief of losing his godfather, and the relief of seeing his godfather again, each trying to make their feeling known. Sirius weakly patted Harry's back as the sobs shook his little body. Severus and Remus, knowing the strain standing took on Sirius led him to the couch nearest them. Harry and Sirius sat on the couch while Remus and Dumbledore took a seat in the chairs across from the couch. Severus Snape stood in the corner of the room, out of the immediate line of vision from the youth.

He looked at the young man, and began to realize that he didn't look as much as his father as he had led himself to believe. He had begun growing into Lily's features with James' coloring. His face was the shape of a heart, where his father's had been square. Harry obviously had his mother's eyes, but Severus also noticed her lips on the boy's face, and unlike his father, he didn't have a pronounced Adam's apple. Severus began wondering why he had never noticed that as much as Harry was James Potter's son, he was Lily Evans' as well.

"What happened?" Harry asked softly, wiping his eyes and holding onto Sirius' arm. He wasn't ready to let his godfather go. Sirius settled back tiredly on the couch. Harry noticed that the man looked tired so looked at the Dumbledore and Remus to get help moving him.

"I believe," Dumbledore said, "that we should retire to Sirius' bedroom for the evening. If we don't, Poppy will have my head."

Harry nodded and stood, getting in position to help Sirius up off the couch, but Remus lifted him up with ease, and carried him to the small bedroom on the first floor that Sirius had told him was used for guests when he was a child.

Harry sat down on the bed beside Sirius after Remus had put the man down. He fussed over the covers and making sure Sirius was comfortable.

"I'm fine, pup." Sirius said in a low gravely voice that was not like his usual tone at all. Harry frowned and took his hand, thinking that if he let the man go, he would be gone again.

Harry finally looked around, and saw that Dumbledore had taken a seat by the bed, Remus was sitting facing Dumbledore at the foot of the bed, opposite of Harry, and Snape was standing in the shadows by the door.

"What's he doing here?" Harry asked with a glare. Snape moved out of the shadows slightly and looked at Dumbledore.

"I'm here, Potter, because your godfather needs someone to properly administer his potions."

"Can't Madam Pomfrey do it?"

"She has taken a look at him, but her expertise is lacking in this matter. She has never had to treat someone essentially brought back from the dead. If you would rather a medi-wizard from St. Mungo's to come and care for your" he paused, "godfather, we could send for one, but he would be taken right back to Azkaban, and I assume that you wouldn't want that."

Harry had to look down and away from the Potions Master. The man was correct, of course, but hell would freeze over before Harry would admit that.

"He's been doing a good job, Kiddo." Sirius said softly. "Still don't like the greasy git, of course, but he's doing a good job." He gave a soft smile to Harry and turned toward Snape with a nod. He didn't have the energy to hate the man right now. Of course, it also helped that Severus was making and administering his potions and a simple 'mistake' could send him to an actual grave this time.

Harry gave Sirius a soft look and then looked around the room at the other adults, "So, what happened?"

"That's a good question, Child." Dumbledore said with a nod. Of course he didn't say anything else.

Harry looked at him, and after a few moments, he said, "Well, do you plan on telling me?"

Remus barked a laugh and patted Harry's knee. "It's kind of a long story, Harry, but of course we can tell you. I'm not sure if Albus is wondering if we should show you or just tell you?" Remus looked at the Headmaster, a question on his face.

"You're quite right, Remus. Although, I'm thinking it may be best to tell it, as we all have separate memories of the event, and moments in between that it may benefit young Harry to know."

"I agree, Albus." Remus said with a smile.

Albus looked at Severus and Sirius. They both nodded.

"I'm going to close my eyes, Kiddo." Sirius said, patting Harry's hand. Harry gave him a worried look. "I'm just tired, pup. Don't worry, I'm fine." He closed his eyes and leaned back into the pillows propping him up on the bed. Harry watched him for a few minutes before Snape cleared his throat.

"Headmaster, can we get on with this?"

"Yes, of course, Severus. Remus, would you like to start. You and Sirius have had several conversations on this topic haven't you?"

"Yes, Albus." Remus turned to Harry, "Harry, first of all, you have to understand that when a person goes into the Veil, they aren't really dead. Their soul is trapped within their body, within the Veil. Their body eventually wastes away, but their soul is still trapped. It's said that they do this to prevent the possibility of reincarnation and possession. The Veil has been used in the past to send criminals to their death, before the widespread use of Dementors, and institutions such as Azkaban. Sirius has told me, several times, that there was no pain, and had no consciousness, so he wasn't aware that he was wasting away. It was as if he were in a deep sleep, or a coma of sorts."

Harry turned to look at his sleeping godfather. Sirius' mouth was hanging open and a little bit of drool was pooling at the edge of his mouth. He sighed, taking the edge of the sheet and wiping the edge of Sirius' mouth, pulling the sheet tight against his emaciated form.

He looked back up at Remus, and then looked over at Dumbledore. "What happened? I saw him go in, and…" Harry sighed.

Dumbledore gave him a forced smile that didn't make his eyes twinkle. "I didn't want to get your hopes up, Child. The last time the Veil had been used was during Grindewald's time, and I had helped put several guilty parties through the arch, but I had always suspected that there would be a way of getting a person out if they were wrongly accused. As leader of the Order of the Phoenix, I have several friends who work in the Ministry, under the Minister's nose, of course, and one is an Unspeakable. I asked him for his help, and he gladly assisted us in finding a way to get Sirius from behind the veil."

"And he didn't want to turn Sirius in?"

"He was a few years below our class in school." Severus spoke up from the back of the room. "The man was completely incompetent in Potions. He was worse than Longbottom. I was required to tutor him on several occasions, with disastrous effect." He glared at the headmaster.

Harry looked at Snape and then at Dumbledore. "Under your tutelage," the headmaster explained without looking at Snape, "our dear friend was able to pass his potions O.W.L. to take the N.E.W.T."

"And," Snape broke in before Dumbledore finished speaking, "he was, of course, good friends with your godfather," he said with a sneer, "before his little stint in Azkaban."

"I informed him of your godfather's innocence, as did Remus. And he's spoken to Sirius since his escape, and second induction to the Order."

Harry wondered if he knew the man they were talking about. "No, Child, you don't know our secret friend, and it's best that you don't know his name. We have a lot of work for him to do, and we can't have many people knowing who he is and what he's doing. Currently, only the four of us adults in this room know who he is, and it will be staying that way for some time to come, and only I know of his missions."

Harry nodded, knowing that the headmaster probably used Legilimency on him, but he didn't think it was that big of a deal at the moment. He could bring it up later.

"So, you got this guy to flip a switch or something to get Sirius out from the Veil?"

Remus laughed at the muggle term. "Or something. It involved a lot more than flipping a switch. There was a potion, a spell, and a lot of hoping that it would work."

"Severus made the Potion, and our Unspeakable friend found the spell in one of the old tomes that are passed down only to the Unspeakables. I had asked to have a look at the old book, but was denied." Dumbledore had a true look of sadness on his face at that comment. Snape snorted.

"And rightly so, Albus." Remus laughed and patted the old man's hand. "The potion needed DNA from Sirius, and luckily I had found a brush with several of his hairs still in it; hairs that had been uprooted when untangled with the brush. I handed them over to Severus, and the potion was made. We then took it to the veil, painted it around the entranceway, carefully of course, and Jo—the Unspeakable cast the spell. Then the veil spit Sirius out, quite literally. We weren't expecting that. He ended up hitting the stairs off of the dais. I rushed over while the Unspeakable closed the Veil, and checked to make sure Sirius was okay."

Harry looked at Sirius, obvious he wasn't okay, but he was curious if he had been worse before Snape – and he really wasn't sure that the man was doing this without malicious intent – had fixed him up.

"He had several broken bones, a concussion, was dehydrated and severely malnourished. I applied the appropriate spells and potions to get him as looking as… well as he is looking currently."

Harry wrinkled his nose, showing his thought on the matter, "Will he be looking better soon?"

Snape nodded, "Undoubtedly."

Harry looked down at his godfather, who had started to snore lightly. Harry adjusted the blanket once more before noticing the time. It was nearing dawn and he hadn't even really said hello to his best mate yet. Remus saw him look at the clock and gave him a warm smile.

"It's getting late, cub. Why don't you get up to bed? We can talk more in the morning." He patted Harry's leg. "We've also got a real birthday party for you tomorrow. Molly wanted to cook a good meal for you, and I know Ron and Hermione were eager to see you."

Harry smiled a little tiredly at the man. He stood and checked Sirius' blankets once again before he bid the men good night and headed out the door. As he left he heard Remus ask if they should put him on the same nutrient potions Sirius was taking. Severus argued that what they were giving Black was too strong and fatten Potter up too quickly. He said he would make some lower potency nutrient potions, but for the next few days he could take some of Sirius', at least until Severus got his batch made.

Harry scampered upstairs, went to the toilet and brushed his teeth before finding his and Ron's room. Ron was asleep on his cot with the light still on. Harry smiled and shut the light off, before climbing into his own cot and falling asleep.

8/3621

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A/N: As everyone else does review responses, I'm not sure if etiquette dictates I must as well.

If so, Thank you, minorly-crazy for your review!

Also, the numbers at the bottom of the chapter are more for those who want to know the page length and word count of each chapter. nothing super important you need to know. Hope you enjoyed!


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Harry woke the next morning to the sounds of people busting outside in the hall, all trying to be quiet and not waking the sleeping boy. He sat up, put his glasses on, and looked at his watch, the second hand was still broken and the face was still smashed, but it told time pretty decently. It was just past ten in the morning, and Ron had been up for a while it seemed. His bed was made, and although his side of the room was messy, it was still organized in some fashion. Harry felt guilty that he still hadn't seen his best friend, despite their current living arrangements.

He grabbed his bathroom products and clean clothes, and went to take a fast shower so he could join the rest of the houseguests for lunch.

He was clean and downstairs in minutes. He smiled a little as he walked into the kitchen to find Mrs. Weasley cooking a hearty lunch. He tried to slip around her to say hello to his godfather, but she noticed him too quickly.

"Harry! Come here love! It's been ages since you've had a hug from Auntie Molly!" She called out to him, putting her wand and knife down on the counter, and pulling him into a huge motherly hug. "Are you all right, dear?" She asked, pulling away so she could get a good look at him. She 'tsked', and shook her head. "Much too thin, as always. But Severus has been a dear and brought you some nutrient potion to get your weight back up." She pulled out a purple potion vial and Harry wrinkled his nose. "Would you like to drink it alone, or with some pumpkin juice?"

"I don't suppose there's a chance to not drink it at all, is there?" He asked with a sick little look.

"Of course not. You're much too thin for a growing boy of sixteen, you need to gain some weight, and perhaps you'll gain some height if we get your weight up as well." Harry currently came to Molly's eyes. Molly was not a tall woman, and she was pleasantly plump, but even Hermione stood an inch taller than the older woman.

Harry gave her a shy little smile. "I suppose I'll have it with pumpkin juice, then, if you won't allow me to not drink Snape's concoctions."

"I assure you, Potter, there is nothing wrong with my concoctions, as you so eloquently put it."

Harry didn't even bother turning around, he accepted the cup of pumpkin juice from Molly and mumbled into the cup before drinking it quickly, "It's not like you wouldn't try to poison me, is it?"

Molly shook her head, "Be nice, Harry. You know Professor Snape wouldn't harm you." She smiled behind Harry at the black clad man. Harry didn't see him grimace in return.

He put the cup in the sink and turned to say good morning to Sirius.

"Potter, I wouldn't –"

Harry opened the door and his eyes went wide. Remus was leaning over Sirius, helping him get dressed. Harry could see some blue tinted, emaciated flesh coming from his godfather's arm. He looked away and ran a hand though his hair.

"Uh…"

Snape stood behind him, "Well said, Potter."

"I just wanted to say good morning… and uh, I will let you get back to what you were doing." He turned and hit his nose on Snape's surprisingly hard chest. He sidestepped the black clad man and rubbed his nose.

"Mrs. Weasley, where's Ron?" He asked Molly in the kitchen.

"I believe he's in the library with Ginny and Hermione. And I've told you several times before, call me Auntie Molly, love." She said with a smile and a flick of her towel to shoo him out of the kitchen as she stuck some snacks in his hand. She winked at him as he brought a biscuit to his lips to take a bite and gave her a small smile.

Sure enough Ron was in the library, sitting on the old couch playing Exploding Snap with Ginny while Hermione read in the chair by the fireplace. Harry handed Ron and Ginny a biscuit, skipping Hermione knowing she'd have a fit if he brought food near one of the books in the antique library. Harry liked reading as much as the next person, but he felt he shouldn't be limited to where and how he read. If he wanted a drink while reading, or eat crisps, he should be able to eat and drink while reading. 'That's just Hermione,' he thought.

"Thanks Harry!" Ginny said with a smile.

Ron patted his best friend on the shoulder. "Yeah, thanks mate. Say, I never got the chance to give you your present. You got to bed really late."

"Dumbledore, Sirius, Remus, and Snape wanted to talk to me." Harry shrugged, "I hoped you were still awake but you were asleep already."

Ron gave him a smile as he stuck his hand in the bag and pulled a card, when it didn't explode, he passed the bag to Ginny. "I'll give it to you tonight after dinner."

Harry nodded and began to relax, or was going to when the bag exploded on Ginny. She laughed and picked up the cards that had flown everywhere. "Want to do something else?" She said with a smile and a little mischievous glint in her eye. She winked at Harry and got up. "I think this house is big enough for a little sky high fun."

She opened the door to the closet across the hall, and pulled out three brooms. They weren't good brooms, several decades old at least, but they were brooms, and if they flew, Harry would have fun anyway.

"What do you say to a game of 'Pass the Quaffle'?" Ginny laughed. Hermione had looked up from her book and was scowling at the three other teens.

"You'll get in trouble. You know you will."

Ginny shrugged her off and smiled at the two boys. "What do you say? Are we playing or not?"

"Yes!" Ron shouted with a laugh. Harry grinned widely.

He didn't want to get in trouble with Mrs. Weasley – Auntie Molly, he corrected himself, but this drafty old house was boring, and Quaffle passing was fun. He grabbed the nicest looking broom and activated it with an "Up".

He climbed on, and noticed that the handle said Sirius. He smiled. This was his godfather's broom.

"Hey look," Ron said with a smile, "James Potter." He pointed to the handle of his broom with a laugh. "Wonder how Sirius got this."

Harry stepped closer to look. Harry touched the handle and gave a small smile.

"You want to trade, mate?" Ron asked. He tried to not look at him with pity, but the sadness came off anyway.

Harry shook his head. "It's okay. Whose broom does Ginny have?" Harry and Ron both had in their hands on Shooting Stars, one of the best brooms in the mid-70s, but Ginny was limply holding an original Cleansweep. Harry wanted to laugh, but he knew to whom the broom belonged. Remus was never destitute, but even as a student at Hogwarts, he couldn't afford the best broom on the market, and took what he could afford. It was likely that the broom was second hand.

"It's Remus'." She said quickly, with a blush. She was thinking about how poor Remus and his family must have been to only own a Cleansweep One. The Cleansweep One had been issued in 1967, and the Shooting Stars nearly a decade later.

Harry smiled at her and hopped onto his broom. Ron did the same, and Ginny reluctantly followed, knowing that if it were a speed race, she would lose. They started passing the Quaffle in a Triangle. They were close to the ceiling, and near the door, and they kept spreading out.

Harry started to direct Ron and Ginny where they should go to get a better throw in, and it wouldn't be a lame toss between the three.

"Ginny, you go above 'Mione. Not directly above her because she'll say you're bothering her. Ron, you go by the window, and I'll stay here by the door."

They started having a lot more fun when they had to dive a little to catch the Quaffle. Even more so, when Harry missed and the ball bounced out of the Library and down the stairs. Harry shot out of the doors and down the stairs after the ball, Ron on his tail, and Ginny following behind them.

Hermione looked up at the first shrill scream, presumably McGonagall, who was expected to be here with Dumbledore for lunch, and to check in on Harry. She heard a twinkling laughter, from Dumbledore, and a "Potter! Weasleys!" from Professor Snape. She was just waiting for the …

"HARRY! RONALD! GINEVRA!"

Mrs. Weasley had seen the three troublemakers.

Hermione closed her book, and went downstairs to see what would happen.

She walked into the kitchen to see Mrs. Weasley swatting Ron and Ginny with a tea towel, and telling the three of them that they knew better than to play Pass the Quaffle inside. Sirius was at the kitchen table, sipping broth but watching the events with an amused glint in his eye, and a small smile on his face. Remus was sitting beside him, chuckling, with a hand on Sirius' forearm. The rest of the occupants were scattered around the room. Snape was in the doorway, Albus was laughing in the corner, and McGonagall was frowning beside Mrs. Weasley.

"Molly," Sirius said softly, putting his spoon down in his bowl. "As the owner of this house, I don't mind if they play 'Pass the Quaffle' inside. There is nothing in this house that is priceless to me, except of course, those three, and the other children. My brother and I used to play in the Library regularly when we were younger, and I played in James' house when I lived there with him, and his family."

Molly stopped swatting her children and looked at Sirius. "The children need to have rules, Sirius. Don't play Quidditch in the house is one."

"Mum, we weren't playing Quidditch, we were playing Pass the Quaffle." Ginny said.

"You know what I mean, young lady." Molly said with a frown at her youngest child. "I'd expect this out of Fred and George, but not the three of you."

Harry looked incredibly ashamed of himself. "I'm sorry Mrs. Weasley. It was my fault."

Molly turned to Harry and pulled him into a hug.

"What's this?" Ron said with mock indignity, "We get hit and he gets a hug. Even when he started it." He said in a loud stage whisper to his sister. Molly swatted him with the towel without letting go of Harry. The adults laughed.

------------------------

The last month of the summer passed quickly. Ron, Harry, and Ginny would play with the practice snitch Ron got him for his birthday outside in the small back yard, and occasionally Fred and George would come and play with them.

Harry continued to take the same nutrient potions as Sirius, and gained five pounds. It was a good five pounds, and made him look healthy, and not emaciated as he had before. He had a little weight in his face, and gained a little around his hips. He would frown at himself in the mirror and complain that with hips, he looked like a girl. Of course, no one heard him when he was in the toilet.

As always, he had trouble sleeping at night. It didn't help that Ron required a little alone time when he thought Harry was asleep. Harry didn't bother informing him that he was still awake, but he would scrunch down under his blankets and pretend it wasn't happening.

After Ron was asleep, Harry would find himself wandering around the dark house, carefully avoiding Sirius' mother and any of the Order Member's rooms. He never noticed the dark shadow that trailed him from the library to wherever he traveled in the house.

He would finally drift to bed around three in the morning, and slept soundly until Ron's first stirs.

The morning they left for the Hogwarts Express, Harry woke before Ron. Some other stimulus had awoken him, and it took half a second for him to figure out what it was. A pain in his side had been the cause of discomfort to wake him. He had a quick moment of panic, wondering if it was his appendix, and if it was going to explode. It hurt pretty badly, but not bad enough to make him ill. And it was on the wrong side, from what he remembered from one of Dudley's anatomy books. He climbed out of bed and hobbled down to the bathroom to relieve his bladder, and clean up before everyone else got up and out of bed, and made a mad dash to the bathroom.

Harry walked back to the bedroom he shared with Ron and noticed a spot of red on the cot's sheets. He took off his underwear and noticed a similar spot. He was baffled on how he could have possibly gotten a cut there. Standing naked, Harry took a look at his fingernails and hoped he hadn't scratched himself badly in his sleep. He grabbed a clean pair of pants, and stuck his bloody ones in his trunk with the clean clothes Mrs. Weasley had washed for him. He would toss them when they got to school; he didn't want anyone to find them by mistake and ask him why he was bleeding. He didn't know why, but he felt as if he should be embarrassed about the cut.

He stripped his bed, balled up his sheets and folded the quilt before setting the pillow on it at the end of the cot. He finished throwing things in his trunk, and took the sheets downstairs to put in the laundry basket.

"Good morning, Harry." Mrs. Weasley said as Harry walked into the kitchen. The basket was near the doorway so he put the bedding into the basket, on top of another bed sheet.

"Good morning, Mi-Auntie Molly." He was still adjusting to calling Mrs. Weasley Auntie Molly.

Harry looked over at the table and smiled at his godfather, who was beginning to look more like an inmate than a living dead person, and Remus who was keeping Sirius entertained.

"Good morning, Harry." Sirius said slowly. Remus' arm was along the back of the other man's chair. "Sleep well?"

The teenager sat down beside his godfather, and pulled some toast and eggs toward him. He gave Sirius a smile and nodded. "Mornin' Siri, Remus. Slept fine, thanks." He ran a hand through his hair, which made it stand up more. "You guys sleep okay?"

The two Marauders looked at each other with a little smile. "Slept fine." Harry wasn't really paying attention, but the two older men knew something Harry didn't know.

"Are you excited to get to school, Harry?" Harry nodded with a bite of toast in his mouth.

"Yeah, sort of sad that I won't get to see you and Sirius every day. But you will write won't you?"

"Of course." Sirius said with a nod.

"I'm also kind of curious about the new Defense teacher. It seems that each summer I've met the teacher somewhere, but I didn't this year. I hope that means we'll have a decent teacher this year." Harry smiled sadly at his toast, thinking of the horrible teachers he had, excluding Remus. He also included Snape on that list.

"I think you'll be pleased with this year's Defense teacher, Harry." Sirius smiled slowly.

"You know him? Who is it?"

"And ruin the surprise?"

"Of course!"

Sirius shook his head with slower movements than he would make normally. He was still recovering, and could walk all over the house now, but he still got tired easily, especially in the mornings.

Harry smiled and finished his breakfast. Molly gave him a kiss on top of the head as she passed.

"Harry, love, are you all squared away?"

"Yes, Auntie Molly. I packed everything last night. I just have to move it downstairs. I didn't want to wake everyone."

"You're a prince, dear. If only Ronald would model himself after you."

"I pray to Merlin he's not a Prince." Sirius said. When Harry looked at him with a confused look on his face, he expanded, "Snape's mother's last name was Prince."

"Oh." Harry said with a nod. "I don't want to be a Prince then."

"Wizards don't have princes, Harry." Ron said with a yawn as he made his way downstairs. "They don't have any royalty at all."

"Talking about the last name, Ron, not royalty."

"Oh, sorry." He sat down at the table and reached for all of the food he could take. Hermione and Ginny came down together and sat at the table as well.

Chatter commenced around the table as the others came downstairs, and the guards came to take the children to the Hogwarts Express. Tonks and Shacklebolt sat down at the table. Tonks between Hermione and Ginny, and Shacklebolt sat beside Remus to speak with the two older men over coffee. Harry stayed close to his godfather, but participated in the conversation the teens were having with Tonks.

Before long, Moody came into the kitchen with a package for Harry from Severus. Severus had gone back to school the week before, and Harry hadn't really missed his looming presence. He had packed nutrient potions for Harry's trunk, and written instructions.

_Potter,_

_Take one phial once a day. I have given you enough to last a month, but inform me when you have only a few phials left. I'll get them to you as soon as possible. Return the phials in class or by owl, at least once a week. Wrap them so they do not break. I'll weigh you at the end of the month to determine the next potion._

_S.S._

Harry took the box upstairs and put it in his trunk, his clothes wrapped around it tightly so it wouldn't break in transit. He took his trunk downstairs after giving another once over to make sure he didn't forget anything. They would be leaving soon, since the Aurors had arrived.

-------------------------------

Nearly two hours later, the Weasleys, Aurors, and Harry were finally at King's Cross. They were running late again, and they had just a few moments to get on the train before it left the group at the station. Molly was fussing, and making sure everyone was hustling to get through to the platform.

---

She had been frazzled earlier, when the twins flooed to Grimauld Place for one last visit with their siblings and friends. Molly hit them over the head with a dishtowel and told them they could see Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny on Hogsmeade weekends. The twins grinned mischievously and were gone before too long.

Harry then had an emotional goodbye with his godfather and Remus. He really didn't want to part from them for so long, but he knew he could come back this Christmas. For the first time, he didn't want to go to Hogwarts.

"We'll see you before you know it, cub." Sirius said with a kiss to the top of Harry's head. Harry's arms were around Sirius' chest, and his head rested in the crook of the older man's neck.

"I know. Could you and Remus come visit on a Hogsmeade weekend, maybe?"

"We'll see." Remus said, rubbing Harry's back. He, too, gave Harry a kiss on his mop of hair.

"Harry! Come along, we're going to be late!"

---

"Harry!" Molly spoke again, "Come along, child, you'll be late!"

Harry smiled and ran towards the barrier. He didn't shut his eyes as he had his first year. Harry slowed to a walk when he got to the other side and gave a small smile to Ron and Hermione.

"Come on, mate, let's find a compartment so Hermione and I know where you and Gin will be when we get done with the Prefect meeting." Harry nodded and they headed to the back of the Hogwarts Express, where there was usually one empty compartment.

The trio found a suitable compartment, and put their trunks on the racks. Ginny didn't come in right away, but when she did, she put her trunk on one of the racks as well, and left immediately.

"I'll be back before long!" she called over her shoulder as she left to find some of her year mates.

When Ron and Hermione made their way to the front of the train, Harry was alone.

8/3480

A/N: I really not a big fan of author notes, but I thought I'd be nice, thank you for adding my story to your alerts, and I promise to try to respond to questions asked in reviews. However, since I really do appreciate your views, a big thank you to everyone who reviewed.

minorly-crazy: Yes, I do my own beta work. I'm not fast enough of a writer to have my very own beta who doesn't get impatient with the time it takes for me to write the next couple chapters and send what I have to a beta. I'm one of those writers that has to have two chapters written before I can edit and post.

For a general appology: I'm sorry for taking so long to get chapters up and posted, but as it says on my **The Call Of Destiny** insane journal account, I'm a very busy college student, involved in a few clubs, classes, and work, so I don't have a chance most days to sit down and write. So, I'm sorry about that, but I'm getting scenes written down all the time, even if it's just notes to myself.

Hope you enjoyed this installment of **The Call of Destiny**.

Jessica LaRae


	4. Chapter Three

_Just a short little note here. This is intended to be a filler chapter, and isn't very long. I'm sorry. There will be another A/N at the end_.

* * *

Chapter Three

The gentle rocking of the moving train, and the silence of the empty compartment lulled Harry into a light doze. His eyes were closed, and his head leaned against the window. The vibration of the train moving drowned out any noise coming from outside the compartment.

The compartment door slid open quietly, and Harry's eyes shot open. He didn't move, however, and he lowered his eyelids to make it appear as if he was still asleep. He watched the intruder carefully.

The white blonde hair was the first tip-off that there could be danger waiting for him. He gripped his wand that was in his pocket tightly. Trust a Malfoy to attack when the other was unaware.

Draco glanced at Harry and knew he was awake. The lines in his body had gone rigid, whereas a few moments earlier, they were lax. He decided, however, to pretend as if Harry was asleep, knowing that was what the other wanted. Draco sat down, as close to the door as possible.

Harry had no choice but to 'wake-up' now. The distance between the two caused Harry to widen his eyes to see Draco. He sat up, shoulder against the wall, and turned his head to look at Malfoy. Malfoy was watching him.

It was a few seconds before either spoke. It was Harry who got the first word in.

"What are you doing here, Malfoy? Where are your goons?"

His wand was trained on the other boy, and Draco looked at it thoughtfully.

"Put your wand away, Potter. I'm trying to be as inconspicuous as possible." His tone of voice was a little haughty.

Harry looked at him in confusion. "Why?" His wand started to droop toward his pant leg.

"My, aren't we inquisitive today? Because, Potter, if it's any business of yours, I've defected rank and the other Slytherins are a little uptight about it."

"Defected?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Yes, Potter. Obviously being in Gryffindor hasn't enhanced your vocabulary. To defect is to leave; to abandon; to desert one's political party or cause in the support of something previously opposed."

"I know what defecting means." Harry growled. "Why did you come here then?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "As the Twat-That-Somehow-Defeated-The-Dark-Lord-As-An-Infant you essentially have your own compartment, I thought I'd share."

A thought occurred to Harry in that moment, "But you're a Prefect. Why aren't you with the others?"

Draco sighed, he was getting annoyed with the questions, "After… circumstances last year, my Prefect badge has been removed. Suffice it to say, I am no longer—'worthy'—of wearing the badge. Besides, after leaving the Dark Lord, it wouldn't be safe for me to wander through the halls alone." He shrugged and put up an air of indifference. Harry, however, could see through a little crack in his façade. He realized that Draco was upset about his Head of House removing his badge, presumably on Dumbledore's orders.

"I'm surprised that Snape took the badge away from you. He finds you his least despicable student."

"There are a lot of things about Severus Snape that would surprise you, Potter."

-----------

Half an hour later, little communication had been made between the two corners of the compartment. Harry stared vacantly out of the window near him, and Draco read a book. Harry sighed and fidgeted in his seat, and Draco looked up at him with a slight scowl.

When Harry finally looked up at him, he frowned as well. "What?"

"Do you HAVE to do that?"

"Do what?" Harry had been unaware of doing anything remotely disturbing.

"Lunch trolley!" The loud woman's voice could be heard through the glass of the sliding door. "Lunch trolley!"

Harry stood and opened the compartment door, and smiled at the woman pushing the cart. "Lunch trolley, dear?"

"Yeah, I'll have two boxes of Chocolate Frogs, three licorice wands, and a box of Bertie Bott's."

"Twenty sickles, please." The witch held her hand out to take the money and Harry handed it over.

"Please tell me you aren't going to eat all that." Draco's disgusted voice said from beside him.

"I'm not going to eat all that." Harry said mockingly.

"Prat." Draco mumbled and pushed Harry out of the way. "I'll have two Pumpkin Pasties."

"One sickle, nineteen knuts, please." Draco handed over the amount and took the small pies back to his seat.

Draco looked over at Harry who was putting the wands and Chocolate Frogs into his backpack, and pulling out two Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean bags. He stared curiously with a smirk, thinking that Potter was an imbecile.

Harry opened the new box, and started separating the beans, presumably by tasty and disgusting. He had only sorted a few before Draco finally asked, "What are you doing?"

Harry looked up; almost surprised that Draco was there, and asking. "Sorting the beans?"

Draco sneered, "I can see that."

"Why did you ask then?"

"Because. Why are you sorting them?"

"Because."

Draco fumed in his seat.

"Why are you sorting them?" He tried again.

"For Truth or Truth."

"Truth or Truth? Is that some Gryffindork version of Dare or Dare?" Draco implied that the Slytherins only took dares.

Harry shrugged. "It's a Harry, Ron, and Hermione version of Truth or Truth."

Draco glared for a moment, trying to figure out just why someone would have fun telling the truth.

Harry saw the expression, and equated it with Draco wrapping his head around something. "It's more complicated than just telling the truth." He said.

"Do explain."

"Well, you've got two bags, right? One bag of the good flavors, and one bag of the bad flavors; you sit in a circle and put the bags in the middle. Then you can either make a statement, or accept a question. The statement you can make can either be true or be false, as can be the answer to the question. Depending on whether we think the answer was a true statement, or a lie, we hand you the appropriate bag."

"And if the lie is convincing?"

"We hand you the good bag."

"Essentially, you're practicing your lying skills." Draco gave an appreciative nod. "Very Slytherin. What if it's the truth, but you think it's a lie?"

"You have the option of not taking the candy if it's the truth."

"That is such a Gryffindork solution. I'd want proof."

"Well, the three of us ARE Gryffindors, which is why we would have a Gryffindor solution. Would you like to play?"

Draco looked at Harry for a few seconds; he shrugged. "Why not. It's not as if there is anything better to do with you. Other than hexing you for the hell of it, which I might do anyway."

"Glad to know." Harry scooted down to the floor and put the candy in front of him. He indicated that Draco should scoot down as well.

"This is so degrading."

"Get used to it."

"Why the hell should I get used to it?" Draco glared at him angrily.

"It's just the way things are sometimes." Harry shrugged.

"Are you used to being degraded, Potter?"

Harry looked up at him, "Why are you asking?"

"To see what your answer will be. We are playing Truth or Truth."

An hour later, Ron and Hermione found Harry gagging on the taste of a vomit flavored bean, and Draco laughing hysterically. They walked in with their wands pointed at Draco, and looked at Harry to see what was going on.

"Harry?" Ron asked, looking at his friend. Harry took a sip of pumpkin juice. After their first lie, both had wanted something to wash the taste out of their mouths, so they got a couple of no-spill goblets from the Lunch Trolley Lady.

"Hey guys." Harry said waving them in. "We're playing Truth or Truth. Join us?"

"Harry." Hermione said sharply, "You do realize who you are sitting with, don't you?"

"Yeah, mate. Has he confunded you?" Ron asked defensively.

"Oh, do shut up, Weasel." Draco said, having calmed down completely. He was back in his seat in moments, and reading his book again.

Harry was disappointed that Draco wasn't willing to be his friend around his other friends, but he gave a terse little smile and nodded to himself climbing back into his own seat. He motioned for Ron and Hermione to sit down.

The two started talking about articles of discussion in the Prefect compartment. Harry and Draco shared a look, and were quiet the rest of the journey.

Ginny soon came back with Neville and Luna, the three looked at Draco in the corner, who had absorbed himself once again in his book, even though he kept an ear open to the Gryffindor's conversation.

"What's Malfoy doing here?" Ginny asked in a whisper to Harry.

Hermione answered, "He and Harry were playing Truth or Truth when we found them."

"Really?" Neville said a little louder than he intended. "Really?" He tried again.

Harry looked up at Draco and noticed he was watching them openly. He gave a small apologetic smile. Draco turned back to his book. The conversation followed along this line until they came close to Hogwarts. Everyone scrambled back to their original compartments, or to find some year mates, and it was just Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco left in the last compartment on the Express.

-------------------------------------------------

When the Golden Trio and Draco stood to get off the train to Hogsmeade, Harry put his hand on Draco's forearm to stop him. Draco stopped and looked at him, Ron and Hermione hadn't noticed and continued on without Harry. The younger boy was a few inches shorter than Draco, the top of his head coming just under his mouth.

Harry gave Draco a warm smile, and stuck his hand out. "Harry Potter."

Draco gave a little smirk back, "You know, I really should just refuse to shake your hand, Potter." He put his larger hand around Harry's "Draco Malfoy."

"It's nice to meet you, Draco Malfoy." Harry said seriously, "Perhaps I'll see you around?"

Draco nodded, "Perhaps."

Harry grinned, but took off running after Ron and Hermione. Draco, left in the dust, was shocked, confused, and a little apprehensive about what shaking Harry Potter's hand would mean for him. He slowly stepped off the train, and took a deep breath. He was ready to face the rest of the Slytherins.

He considered, for his own safety, getting his own room outside of the Slytherin common room, and he thought he might speak to Snape and Dumbledore later this evening. He pulled on his sheer robe, and brushed out the invisible wrinkles.

He walked down the empty corridor, the last off the train, and stepped outside, where two were waiting.

"Blaise, Pansy; wonderful to see you. I trust your summer was well." Draco said with a smirk.

"Hello, Draco." Pansy said, "My, aren't you dressed fashionably for someone who was recently disowned."

"It's all part of the plan." Draco said surreptitiously.

6/1834

Estimated total: 10,000  


* * *

Yep, so this chapter makes 10,000 words in my story according to my Word Document Word Count--give or take a few. Yay! And only on Chapter Three!

To address a couple questions/concerns/thoughts left in my comments:

**Zafaran:** _So... basically, Harry's not really a girl or a boy, but a partially functional hermaphrodite unless, and until, Dumbledore reverses the transfiguration.  
_This one is a little harder to explain. I believe in the next chapter coming up I do explain my idea behind this. Essentially, your idea is correct, however, only the female anatomy works, and the male anatomy is much like a... well, I suppose it could be likened to a 'strap-on', but it gives Harry a place to urinate from, but doesn't work the way a male's body is designed to work. As for where Harry's vagina is... well, this is magic, and in magic, you can cast glamours of course! No worries, I haven't gone and done something stupid like putting her vagina in her rectum or anything like that. Just trust me on this one.

**Snow-Leopard-Demon24:** _Oh, also, is Harry going to gradually turn into a girl little by little. Or on his 17th birthday It'll come all at once?  
_I'll be cryptic here. You'll see. ;) There, that is my answer :)

**SeulWolfe:** _...and Harry starting his monthly could be from being healthy for the first time... The slash Remus/Sirius, and a possible Harry/Severus? _  
I believe I replied to your comment individually, if I did not, I apologize. For the first statement, yes, that was my thought. Because most girls are unable to menstruate when below a certain weight, I felt that it would be a reasonable reason for why Harry hadn't started yet and figured out at a much younger age. As for the pairing, I will only tell you the main pairing will be Harry/Severus, because I know there are quite a few people who are either turned off by such pairings, or only read such pairings. If you, the reader, are only interested in Heterosexual relationships, I'm sure you didn't choose this one thinking that it would be okay if only Harry could change his gender for Severus. Therefore, I hope the majority of you are open equally to heterosexual and homosexual relationships between different characters. If I decide to do something crazy, however, such as... Hagrid/Giant Squid. I will be sure to let you know, because... well, even **I** am not that open minded.

**About the chapter:  
**As mentioned above, before the chapter, this one is mainly a filler chapter, and will address issues that I hope will come up later in the story. The most important being, of course, Harry and Draco becoming friends or staying lifelong enemies (at least in this chapter anyway). I hope this wasn't a disappointing chapter, but I promise action is coming soon! I'm almost done with chapter five and starting chapter six!

TTFN, Ta ta for now!

JessicaLaRae


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Harry quickly caught up with the others, and hopped into the back of a thestral drawn carriage before the black, skeletal thestral took off up the path. Harry let out the breath he had been holding and looked back at the train. He saw Draco smirk and push his way past Blaise and Pansy and into one of the last carriages.

Draco looked up at Harry and nodded before he sat down in the carriage by himself. Blaise and Pansy got into another carriage full of Slytherins. The full carriage took off, leaving Draco's carriage to wait until it filled more, or didn't fill after ten minutes.

Harry settled back and listened to the conversation floating around him. Neville was speaking about his summer. He, his gran, and his uncle Algie visited Tintagel, the birthplace of Merlin. Muggles and Wizards alike were able to visit Tintagel, but only the Wizards could see and enter the preserved castle that was set up as a museum and historical site. Harry knew he had seen pictures of the Muggle side of Tintagel in his Primary School books. Tentagel was also spoken of in his History of Magic text, but they had never gotten past the Goblin Wars of which Professor Binns was fond.

Harry didn't realize that he was staring into the forest until a strong pain came over him. He looked down at his stomach and put a hand over his side and pressed hard. He grimaced.

Hermione noticed his small movements and leaned over to him in concern, "Harry? Are you alright?" She whispered to him in concern.

"Yeah, 'mione, I'm fine." Harry whispered back, hoping to not draw attention to him.

"Obviously not," Hermione said with a frown. "You're holding your side. Does it hurt?"

"Not badly," Harry pouted.

"You should see Madam Pomfrey."

"I'm fine, 'mione."

Hermione leaned back against the seat and watched Harry diligently. She knew he should go see Madam Pomfrey, but he never listened to her when he was ill.

The carriage stopped, and the teens jumped out of the carriage. Luna gave the thestral's hooked beak a pat. Harry watched her cautiously; afraid the beast might bite her hand off.

"I'm fine, Harry." She said in her soft voice. "The creatures trust me. They trust you too. You can pet him if you like."

Harry inched closer, and the thestral turned its black eyes on him. Harry felt a chill looking into those black depths, but his hand reached out anyway. The winged horse nudged Harry's hand with his nose. Harry smiled, and gave the animal a nose rub before taking a few steps back to enter the school with his friends.

-----------------

They entered the Great Hall a little earlier than they had in previous years. None of the teachers were up at the head table, and there were few students in the hall. They would come in a few minutes later.

Harry sat down at the middle of the Gryffindor table. Draco sat at the end of the Slytherin table. Harry gave a curt nod, and they sat as more students sat at the table. Dean and Seamus came in, and sat down opposite Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and next to Neville and Ginny.

Soon, the Great Hall was a cacophonous chamber. Voices rang out high and loud, and Harry was more than ready to get the sorting over with so they could eat and go to sleep. He didn't know why he was so tired, but his body ached. All he wanted was to curl up in his bed and go to sleep.

Harry looked up from his seat to the head table where the professors ate. There was an empty chair where the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher should be sitting. Harry looked over at Dumbledore, whose eyes twinkled as he winked at Harry, and to Snape, who glared at the whole Gryffindor table, but particularly Harry. Harry glared back before looking at his friends.

"What's the matter, Harry?" Ron asked, turning away from the conversation he was having with Dean and Seamus.

"Nothing. Did you guys notice the Defense professor isn't here yet?" Ron looked up at the table, and noticed Snape glaring at Harry, as well as the open seat.

"Mate, Snape's glaring at you."

"Professor Snape is always glaring at Harry. Why do you suppose the Defense professor hasn't arrived yet?"

Harry shrugged. "Snuffles said that I would really like the new professor."

At that moment, Professor McGonagall came in carrying a stool and a tattered hat in her hands. The stool was small, much smaller than Harry had remembered it being in his first year. He watched as the hat opened its brim and began to sing its yearly song.

After the first stanza, Harry noticed movement behind the head teacher's table. The door to the chamber off the raised platform opened and a figure quickly walked out from behind the door, shut it, and sat down next to Snape. Snape continued to look forward, though he obviously tensed at the presence beside him.

Harry gasped quietly as he took in the tawny haired man smiling at him. He nudged Hermione who hadn't noticed and pointed up to the head table with a grin, Ron turned to look as well. The two gasped and grinned at Harry. Suddenly, more and more people were turning to look at the new professor. A hushed whisper spread through the hall between tables and classes, "Professor Lupin's back."

"Professor Lupin's back," could be heard passing from person to person. After two disastrous years of more horrible teachers, the students were ready for a real professor again. There were still those who were uncomfortable having a werewolf as a professor, but with assurances from Professor Dumbledore, most parents were accepting of the former professor. Many parents of the students were former classmates of his as well.

As the hat finished his song, few were paying attention. The words of wisdom granted by the hat were lost in a sea of whispers. It was McGonagall who finally drew attention to the fact that there was, indeed, a sorting taking place, and the arrival of the former professor was irrelevant to the matter at hand.

"Albright, Andrew!" She said loudly over the voices.

Albright, a small boy with a shock of red hair sat upon the stool and the hat slipped over his eyes and ears, engulfing the majority of his head. Voices softened, waiting to hear where the young man would be sorted.

"RAVENCLAW!" The hat shouted, and the Ravenclaws cheered loudly.

Soon, the new first years were sorted, and the old first years were now second years officially. Harry couldn't keep from looking at his plate of food, which he barely touched, to the head table. Remus looked up and smiled every time Harry looked up at him.

After everyone finished their meal, the Headmaster stood and made his final speech of the feast.

"I would like to welcome back our beloved Defense teacher from three years ago, Professor Lupin. I implore you to treat Professor Lupin with the respect you have shown us over the years. As always, the Forbidden Forrest is, as its name suggests, forbidden. If a student is caught trespassing in the wood by any of the magical creatures or beings that inhabit it, his or her life may be in danger. I urge you to use common sense and stay out of the Forbidden Forrest. Also, a new list of banned items has been posted on Mr. Filch's office door and each of the common rooms. Magic is not to be used in the hallways. If caught using magic, professors and prefects have the right to take away house points.

"And now, we shall sing our school song. Choose your own tune and sing along. Maestro!"

Professor Flitwick stood atop his chair and charmed some of the musical instruments behind the head table to play above the student's tables and dance to the beat. They started the song, and Harry was reminded of his first year when Fred and George sang the school song to a funeral march. Harry sang at a fast pace with a smile on his face, and Ron grinned and joined in with him. Before they got to the second line of the song, most of Gryffindor was singing Harry's fast version of the song.

The Gryffindors were the first group to finish the school song, but Flitwick and Dumbledore played on until the last person finished singing.

"With that, I bid you goodnight."

The hall exploded with chatter, and students left to find a prefect to take them to their dorm. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were going to lead the first year Gryffindors to the dorm, much like Percy had their first year. Harry didn't have to join Ron and Hermione, but he did anyway.

He thought that he would go and see Remus before breakfast the next morning, and tell him off for not informing him that he would be here as the Defense professor again.

--------------------

That night in the dorms, Harry and the other boys were getting ready for bed. Harry had gone to shower first, as he had since the beginning of third year. He wasn't quite as physically mature as the other boys, and he was very self-conscious about that. He had never been physically aroused, and had never had a wet dream as the others did when they were thirteen. It was almost as if his body wasn't made to function like a man's body.

He pulled his pants off, and saw a similar bloodstain in the same spot as he had that morning. Concerned, he stuffed his pants in his trouser pockets to be placed with the other pair he had hidden that morning. He showered, being sure to wash that spot that didn't seem to want to heal extra carefully, and hoped that it wouldn't become infected.

--------------------

The next morning, Harry, Ron, and Hermione made it down for breakfast together. Harry and Ron looked as if they had spent the entire night awake, and Hermione looked refreshed and happy to be back at school.

"Were you both up all night?" She cheerfully asked her friends. Both sent her a death glare.

Ron **had** been up all night, but Harry had gone to sleep early. The boy was grumpy, and was sore in places he shouldn't be sore, and he was tired. He looked at the table as he waited for the rest of the food to arrive. He hoped the house elves would put out a pot of coffee this morning.

Over the years he had seen the upper year students drinking coffee in the mornings, but it was never served to the younger students. Sixth and seventh year students were usually the ones who drank the coffee, some fifth years would have tea, and the younger students always had pumpkin, apple, or cranberry juice for breakfast.

"Finally!" Harry exclaimed when he saw a large coffee thermos appear at the end of the long table. He hopped up and reached for one of the cups and saucers sitting in front of the thermos. It didn't budge. Harry looked at the cup in anger, and he placed both hands on the saucer and pulled. It still didn't move. He put his foot on the stool and pulled with his hands and pushed with his foot, when suddenly, his hands flew up and hit him in the forehead.

"Bloody fucking Christ!" he exclaimed.

From the doorway came laughter, loud and slightly haughty. "Oh, Potter, that was bloody brilliant." Malfoy stood in the doorway, his right arm holding his abdomen.

"Forty points from Gryffindor, Potter."

Ron quickly came up to stand behind Harry, as he noticed Harry tensing. Harry started to advance towards Snape, and he shouted, "You know what you can do with your forty bloody points?"

"Harry!" Hermione said on the other side of the table, as Ron grabbed his friend and stopped him from attacking the teacher. "_Silencio_!" She pointed her wand at his mouth. Harry opened his mouth to yell more, but all he did was make the shape of the words. No sound emerged past his lips.

When he realized he was silent, he turned to his friend and started 'yelling' at her.

Snape stood there, his arms across his chest, and he smirked. "Oh, please continue looking like an irate cephalopod. It isn't as if any of us can control our hostility."

Harry glared until he turned red in the face from the effort. It only made Snape smirk more.

"Harry Potter, The-Cuttlefish-Who-Turned-Red-In-The-Face."

"That's enough, Severus." Dumbledore admonished Snape. "Harry, please have a seat, and once you've calmed, I'm sure Miss Granger will remove her charm."

Harry sat down with a silent harrumph. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Snape. Snape mimicked the pose, but instead of glaring, he raised his eyebrows waiting for Harry to calm.

Albus put his weathered hand on Snape's shoulder, and gently told him to take his seat at the head table. He looked as if he were going to protest, but soon he turned and his robes snapped behind him menacingly.

Dumbledore, noticing there were very few students in the Great Hall, sat down next to Harry and put his hand on his shoulder.

"Now, if Miss Granger would remove her silencing charm…" he looked at the young witch in question and she complied. Harry had calmed marginally, but not much, "Child," Dumbledore addressed Harry, "would you care to tell me what caused your frustration?"

"Snape." Harry grumbled.

"Professor Snape, Harry, and if your complaint is against Professor Snape, we will speak privately. However, I believe your earlier frustration was with the coffee?"

Harry pressed his lips, looking suspiciously like Professor McGonagall, and he nodded tersely. "Yes. I wanted coffee and the table wouldn't let me."

"You are only sixteen, my child, I do not believe you should be needing coffee at this time. Why don't you have some tea instead?" Dumbledore reached over to pour a cup of tea for Harry, adding two sugar cubes, just the way he liked his tea.

Harry begrudgingly took a sip of his tea, and he started to calm. He thought to himself that Dumbledore had slipped a calming potion into his tea. He frowned at the headmaster, but by his third sip, he no longer cared.

Dumbledore patted Harry's shoulder and got up as more students started to enter the Great Hall. "Enjoy your breakfast, Harry."

As the headmaster walked to the head table, Ron and Hermione sat down next to their friend.

"What was that about, mate?" Ron asked Harry, peering at him with wide eyes.

Hermione looked at Harry with a frown. She vowed to find out what was wrong with her friend. "Harry, you should probably see Madam Pomfrey before classes start."

Harry nodded absently as he began to eat the food that appeared on his plate.

-------------------

"Hermione." Harry enunciated her entire name for effect when she wouldn't stop speaking. "I'm not going to see Madam Pomfrey. I'm fine." His tone was a little harsh and snappish. He hadn't intended to be as brusque as he was, and he gave a quick apologetic glace toward his friend.

Hermione bit her lip and looked at Harry curiously. Harry sighed and took his seat at one of the back tables in the Potions Lab. Hermione sat down next to him. Harry had no idea how he managed to get into this class, other than divine intervention, or the persuasion of one Albus Dumbledore. Ron, however decent his O.W.L.s were, didn't make it into the class. Nor did most of the other sixth year Gryffindors.

Harry looked around at the others in the classroom; Draco Malfoy sat in the corner opposite him, and Pansy Parkinson sat next to him. His cronies were nowhere in sight. In front of them sat Terry Boot and Anthony Goldstein. Draco didn't seem to dislike those two boys, but he wasn't relaxed in their presence either. Lisa Turpin and Mandy Brocklehurst sat beside the boys. In the front row, Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbot sat up their cauldron while speaking quietly to each other.

Harry got his cauldron set up and ready for when Snape walked in the door. He didn't want to be chastised on his first day, even though he knew he would be. He pulled out his textbook, and opened it to the first potion, when the door banged open and slammed shut behind the entering professor.

"Open your textbooks to page three-hundred and fifty-seven, we will be starting with medicinal potions this term. Today, we're starting a potion similar to 'Skele-Gro'. Why are we not creating 'Skele-Gro'?" He snapped around and looked directly at Harry, "Potter?"

Harry's eyes went wide and he gulped. He looked at his textbook, hoping the answer would pop out at him.

Not seeing the answer, he looked back up and remembered what the bottle of 'Skele-Gro' said in the infirmary his second year. "Because Rubens Winikus and Company Incorporated are the only people to sell 'Skele-Gro'. It would be copy write infringement if we were to make 'Skele-Gro'."

If Snape was surprised, he didn't show it. He turned around and wrote the ingredients on the board, and glared behind him at the classroom.

"Well! Get started!"

Quills started scratching as they copied the notes down, and Hermione leaned over to Harry.

"How did you know that?"

"I had nothing else to read for an entire night while I was having my right arm re-grown." He whispered back.

"NO TALKING!" Snape bellowed, "Twenty points from Gryffindor!"

Harry and Hermione finished working in silence, until it was time to gather the ingredients. Harry stood from his seat and slid out from behind the desk, when he heard a gasp from Hermione.

"Oh Harry!" she said it softly, but in the quiet of the room, her voice was deafening. Harry turned around and looked at his friend.

Hermione sat looking at the stool from which Harry had just gotten off. On the light colored wood, there was a splotch of red. "You're bleeding!" Harry pulled the back of his robes around and touched a dark wet spot. As he pulled his hand away, he began feeling lightheaded.

He was unconscious before he hit the floor.

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Total: 13,088

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Thank you, everyone, for your reviews! I really really do appreciate them and it let's me know what you like or you find absurd. So, I'm not going to beg for your reviews, but I will say that I do love getting them ;)

So, this will be my last post before I get back to school and life. I have five and six written (and I really hope you'll enjoy them!). I've been wondering however, if the chapters are too long, about perfect or what you think? I know chapter six will be about half the length of the usual chapter (a little longer than the last chapter). But it's chock full of heady information. I can't wait for you to read it!

I hope you had a great holiday season with family and friends! Happy 2009!

Jessica LaRae


	6. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

_Harry and Hermione finished working in silence, until it was time to gather the ingredients. Harry stood from his seat and slid out from behind the desk, when he heard a gasp from Hermione._

"_Oh Harry!" she said it softly, but in the quiet of the room, her voice was deafening. Harry turned around and looked at his friend._

_Hermione sat looking at the stool from which Harry had just gotten off. On the light colored wood, there was a spot of red. "You're bleeding!" Harry pulled the back of his robes around and touched a dark wet spot. As he pulled his hand away, he began feeling lightheaded. _

-----------------

Harry saw the blood on his hand, and his face paled. His eyes began to roll back into the back of his head. In seconds, Snape was behind Harry, catching him before his head could hit the stone floor of the lab, and there would be more blood to clean up.

It was that reason that Severus told himself he was helping Harry. Just because Dumbledore had ordered him to not let harm come to Harry, didn't mean a little harm couldn't come to him at all. He was just making sure there wasn't a pool of blood he needed to clean up.

Hermione shrieked Harry's name as he started to fall backwards. She was relieved when she saw that Harry didn't hit the ground. In a fluid motion, she flew from her seat and began cradling Harry's head in her lap, and was surprised that Snape was still kneeling on the ground when she looked up into his black eyes. If she hadn't looked up in that exact second, she would have missed the concern that altered the generally steely gaze, for the very next second, his face was blank and his eyes impassionate as he barked at the nearest person to go get Madame Pomfrey.

Hermione looked back down at her unconscious friend, and began to gently rub the hair covering his forehead. The lightning bolt scar peaked through the bangs Hermione was smoothing over her friend's forehead.

Snape dismissed the other students, and began checking Harry's vitals. He waved his wand over the younger man and frowned.

"Miss Granger, please move away from your friend." He couldn't understand why his wand was telling him Harry was menstruating, other than inferring that it was Granger who was on her period.

Hermione opened her mouth just as Madam Pomfrey charged through the doors. "It's alright, Severus. I can take care of him now."

The matron's skirt flowed around her as she shifted to the floor and shooed Snape out of the way. Snape pursed his lips at the woman as he moved to let her take care of Potter.

The older woman frowned as she performed a diagnostic spell. She looked up at Hermione, "Dear, would you mind moving away from Mr. Potter for just a moment. You can come back and sit near him in just a moment."

Hermione nodded and put her friend's head down gently on the cold stones as she backed away.

The nurse cast her spell again. "Interesting." She muttered. "Severus, I'm going to take Mr. Potter to the hospital wing, would you please let the Headmaster, and Remus know. I will see you up there as well, I'm not sure which potions we may need."

Hermione had gone pale, "Is Harry going to be alright? I told him yesterday he should come to see you."

The usually brash matron gave Hermione a smile. "He will be fine, dear. I would just give him a couple days to recover; he'll need his rest."

Hermione nodded and Madam Pomfrey pulled a small silver coin out from around her neck. With a tap of her wand, it was a portkey to the hospital wing. The nurse looked at Severus and with a nod, placed the coin in Harry's hand, and gripped her hand around his.

"Remember, Severus." She said pointedly before she and Harry disappeared.

------------------

Hermione ran up the stairs right after her least favorite professor. In the seconds it took her to get up the first flight of stairs, all she could see of Snape was the tail of his robe swishing around the corner.

Hermione whipped around the corner, heading toward the History of Magic class. She got to the door, and felt sorry that Ron was still taking this class. Because he didn't have Potions, he had to take another subject to make up for those lost credits. He hadn't planned on taking History of Magic, but it was the only subject that fit into his time block.

She quietly opened the door to the room and heard the ghostly Professor's familiar monotone voice. Ron was, as was his usual custom when he didn't have class with Hermione, sitting in the back of the classroom. Hermione could kiss him for his predictability.

Crouching behind the tables, she crawled her way over to Ron. The red head's eyes were closed and he was snoring softly. She gently tapped his knee. When he didn't respond, she slapped it a little harder.

"Ron!" She hissed, shaking his leg.

Ron jumped and looked frightened. All of the individuals around them looked over to see Hermione crouched beside the gangly teen.

"'Mione!" Ron whispered, looking down at the girl, "If you wanted to study History as well, I would have lent you the book."

Hermione gave him an exasperated look. "I'm not here about the class, Ron. There was an accident in Potions."

Ron's eyes went wide. "Is Har-?"

"Not here." She looked around and made a minor head motion to signal that they needed to leave. She crawled back the way she came and stood up outside of the doorway, brushing her knees off and smoothing her skirt.

She looked over at Ron and took his sleeve in her fingers. She began to pull him towards the Gryffindor tower.

-------------------------------

'Damn that insufferable woman' Severus thought as he strode up the stairs, his robes swiftly swishing behind him. 'Damn her, damn that Potter, and damn that mutt.' He could hear the Granger chit trying to keep up with his fast pace. He walked faster, almost at a run.

He turned the corner just as she made it to the top of the stairs, and he made it down the hallway to the stone gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore's office. With the bark of a password, the gargoyle opened to reveal a staircase. When he stepped on, the staircases revolved to Albus' office. He stood outside the door, and raised his fist to knock.

"Come in, Severus." Albus said gently, but loud enough to be heard. The door opened and Severus stepped through. Severus had given up wondering how Albus knew who was at the door before the person even knocked.

"Headmaster." Severus greeted in his monotone voice as he walked into the headmaster's office. "There has been an… incident in the potions lab, regarding one Harry Potter."

The twinkling blue eyes dimmed, as the headmaster grew concerned. "Is Harry alright?"

"His vitals were strong, and I couldn't see anything wrong with him. Madam Pomfrey, however, took him to the Hospital Wing, and told the Granger girl that he'd need a couple days rest."

"This could be potentially serious." Dumbledore frowned. "I'll go to the infirmary and see what Poppy has discovered. If you'll floo Remus' quarters… you know where the powder is." He stood and walked around the desk near Severus. He patted the younger man on the shoulder. "Thank you for telling me, dear child."

"I don't understand why you insist on calling me that infernal endearment. I'm no longer a child, Albus."

"At one-hundred and fifty odd years, everyone is a child. Dear child." His twinkle returned for just a moment before he sprinkled some floo powder into the grate. "Infirmary!" He shouted with confidence that he would go where he was intending.

"Insufferable old man." The dour professor said as he took a pinch of floo powder and flooed to Remus' office.

The werewolf wasn't in, but at the slight sound he made, a huge black dog ran into the room. At the sight of Severus, the beast growled.

Severus, knowing he would hardly get a chance like this again gave the dog a swift kick in the gut. Immediately, the dog switched forms, and Sirius was sitting on the floor coughing and holding his ribs. "What did you do that for, Snivillus?" He groaned.

Snape looked at him and raised his eyebrow. "Where is Lupin?"

"Why?"

"I need to speak with him, and I assume you as well."

"About what?"

Snape glared at him. "Answer the question!"

Remus came into the office at a run. "What is going on here?" He panted out looking between the two men, one of which was still on the floor. "I have a class!" He pointed at the door he had slammed shut when he ran in.

"Snivillus says he needs to speak to us." Sirius glared at the taller man.

"Potter is in the infirmary. The head master asked me to inform you."

"WHAT? What did you do? If you so much as hurt a hair on his head…" Sirius leaned in towards Snape with hatred written plainly on his face.

Remus put a hand on his friend's arm. "Severus, please explain what happened. Sirius. Calm down. I'm sure Severus didn't hurt Harry."

"Your godson, appeared to be hemorrhaging, however when I checked his vitals, which were all nearly stable, I couldn't get a clear reading because his friend, Granger, was sitting to close to him."

"Is he with Poppy?" Remus asked.

Severus nodded.

------------------------

"Hurry up, Ron!" Hermione said running through the halls back toward the dormitory. The two were seemingly the only two around, as everyone was supposed to be in class, or studying.

Ron came galloping around the corner; his long, uncoordinated limbs making him look much like a colt.

"I'm hurrying!" He panted.

They made it to the Fat Lady's portrait, and Hermione gasped out the password. The hidden door opened with a squeak, emphasizing the fact that they were alone. They ran up the stairs to the boy's dormitory so Hermione could speak to Ron, and they could find his Invisibility Cloak.

"What happened?" Ron asked as he looked around the dorm making sure there were no hidden dorm mates that could eavesdrop.

Hermione looked around as well before heading toward Harry's bed, and most importantly, his trunk. "We were in potions, and Harry got up to get the ingredients for the potion. I looked down at his seat and there was blood. Harry must have internal bleeding or something. Anyway, I told him, and he turned around and looked at the blood. He fainted. I've never seen Harry faint at the sight of blood." As she spoke, she was digging around for the familiar silken fabric. What she came across surprised her.

"Ah here it…" she lifted the fabric up and Ron shrieked a little.

"Hermione! Put Harry's pants back!" She went to put the white briefs back into the trunk when she saw the spot of brown. The same color as dried blood.

"Ron…" She said staring at the pants. She didn't say anything, but she noticed that the bloodstain was near the front of the briefs. Hermione thought that it was odd that the stain wasn't near Harry's rectum, but towards his scrotum. She recalled a spell she read in a medical book in her forth year. It tested blood found, to determine who it came from, and if it was from a wound, disease, or natural causes, such as menstruation or hemorrhaging.

Ron looked over at Hermione and watched as she cast the spell. The results were curious.

"Ron. Ginny hasn't been wearing Harry's pants has she?"

Ron wrinkled his nose and then when he realized what Hermione was insinuating, his fiery red hair matched his personality. "Hermione!" He shouted. "How can you ask such a thing?"

"Well, it's just that… what the spell is saying isn't possible."

"What's it saying?" Ron asked curiously.

"That Harry's started his monthlies."

-------------------

Poppy Pomfrey was, for all intents and purposes, a skeptical woman. She didn't believe those wild rumors that had been floating around the magical-medical world for the last few years of pregnancies in men, or the widely held belief that magic can cure everything. She knew it couldn't cure quite a few things, which was why there were potions to relieve the symptoms.

When she came upon Harry Potter, however, she had to suspend her disbelief that men could start a menstrual cycle. She had never heard of a male starting to have menstrual cycles, but Harry Potter was one of those children to whom strange things happened. It seemed as if Murphy's Law touched the child at birth.

Only a few minutes had passed before Dumbledore stepped out of the floo. Madam Pomfrey barely looked up when the Headmaster went over to the young boy's bed, and sat beside him with a frown.

"It's strange, Albus," the mediwitch looked up at him from where she was gathering potions ingredients the lad may need. "I can't seem to figure it out. I'm not going to say it's true without a full exam, but it seems as if—"

Dumbledore cut the younger woman off, "I believe I know the cause, Poppy."

"You—How?"

"I'll explain once the others arrive."

With a bang, the doors were flung open and one man and a dog came in at a run. The black clad Potions Master came at a much slower pace. He shut the gnarled oak doors behind him.

The dog skidded to a halt and nearly slid into the wall before transforming once again, and the man stopped beside the bed cradling Harry.

"What happened?" Sirius asked, coming to stand beside Albus. He reached over and brushed the bangs off of Harry's forehead gently.

"I'm sure Severus has told you all he knows. There was an accident in the Potion's lab, and Harry fainted. He couldn't determine the source of the bleeding, which appeared to be a hemorrhage."

"Where was he bleeding from?" Remus asked; his voice calm, though he worried for the young man in the bed.

"His backside." Snape replied.

Immediately, Sirius' thoughts swarmed to various situations that could have taken place, like a hoard of angry wasps armed with stingers to attack the enemy. "Was he ra--?"

"No." Dumbledore cut him off.

"No," he said in a much gentler tone, "I believe I know what is wrong with him."

"What?" Sirius demanded, "What is wrong with him, and why is he still unconscious?"

"He's not unconscious." Snape said, looking at the boy. He appeared unconscious; his breathing was deep and regular, his body was lax, and his face was emotionless.

"Potter. Open your eyes."

Slowly, Harry opened his eyes. His eyes traveled from the looming dark blob he knew to be Snape, to the crouching lighter grey blob that was Sirius. He saw the purple splotch he suspected was Dumbledore at his side, and he wondered if he was wearing the robes with silver moons and stars of which he was fond. Next to Dumbledore, near his feet was the tawny haired blob of Remus, and at the foot of the bed stood the Matron. Of course, had someone come in and stolen his visitors clothes and had the same hair color and usual clothing, he wouldn't have been able to tell, but he was getting pretty good at figuring out who people were by their blob form.

"Harry!" Sirius exclaimed, "Are you all right?"

"I believe so," Harry said sitting up a little. He could feel the towel placed between his legs to supposedly catch the blood-flow until it stopped. He felt his head for his glasses and turned to look at the tables beside him. When he didn't see them, he frowned, but saw Snape's arm come toward him.

"Here." Snape said, holding the glasses.

Harry took them quickly. He fumbled with the temple pieces before placing them on the bridge of his nose.

He uttered a quiet thanks that Snape barely heard, but he did see the glace the boy threw him.

Harry looked at the people surrounding his bed. Dumbledore was wearing the purple robes with silver stars and moons. Harry gave Sirius a small smile.

"What are you doing here, Sirius?" His voice was quiet and subdued from its usual vibrancy.

"I was going to have Remus keep you after class today, and tell you that I'm staying here until I get better. Headmaster Dumbledore thought it would be best if I were near Snape and Madam Pomfrey in case something went wrong." Sirius smiled and ruffled Harry's hair.

Harry grinned and looked at the sheets until he reached the end of the bed where the mediwitch was standing. When he looked up at her, he frowned and bit his lip.

"What's wrong with me, Madam Pomfrey?"

"Headmaster Dumbledore said that he might know what is wrong with you, Mr. Potter. I believe, now that everyone is here, and awake, we should hear your thoughts, Headmaster."

"Right, very well then." Dumbledore took a lemon drop out of his pocket and popped it in his mouth. He then offered one to everyone around him.

"Headmaster." Madam Pomfrey's tight-lipped expression encouraged him to get to the point.

"Yes, yes, very well." Dumbledore took another brief moment to contemplate explaining the situation. "When Harry Potter was born, he was not Harry Potter."

Pausing for a moment, Dumbledore let that riddle fester in the minds of his companions.

"What?" Snape was the first to ask.

"I'm not Harry Potter?"

"Right. No. What I mean to say is," For the first time in Harry's life, he was seeing Dumbledore stumped on how to answer a question. "When Harry was born, there was a prophecy, of which we are all well aware. 'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…' At the time of Harry's birth, there were two children to come into the world on the same day. A child of the Longbottom's and a child of the Potter's would be born on July Thirty-first."

"I'm Neville Longbottom?" Harry's eyes went wide, and he put his hand up to his face. That time he told Stan Shunpike his friend's name was coming back to haunt him.

"No, Harry, I saw you moments after you were born." Sirius calmed the child.

"I had previously attended the birth of Neville Longbottom, only hours before, and I knew he would not be the child chosen by Voldemort, and if he was chosen, he would not survive. You have to understand, Harry, I made a choice I am not happy with. I chose you to be the child to vanquish the Dark Lord. I didn't know that your parents would become targets, and that they would die, but I knew, that if chosen by Voldemort, you and your magic would survive. You, Harry Potter, are the most powerful witch in the world."

Severus' head whipped up at the utterance of one word, "Witch?"

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Total: 16,325

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A/N: My apologies for being a little slow on the updating. I've not had a whole lot of time to write, and I finally got chapter 7 finished today. Or at least to a point where I'm comfortable calling it finished. I'll be starting on Chapter 8 today too, so you all know that I do have a couple in reserve for posting.

I hope you like this Chapter!

As for why it's taken so long... if any of you have checked out my insanejournal account (which hasn't been updated yet either), I put in one of the first entries that I'm very much a busy college student, involved in my studies, in clubs, and with family and friends. I'm lucky to get my homework finished each night so I can relax by reading some lovely fanfic out there in this genre.

Anyway, I want to thank you all for reading my story, and I'm excited to be on 90 peoples alert! Feel free to review and respond, I do enjoy reading your reviews!

Once again, sorry for taking so long to get this chapter out. Hopefully 6 will be along before I'm done with break!

~Jessica LaRae


	7. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

"_You, Harry Potter, are the most powerful witch in the world."_

_Severus' head whipped up at the utterance of one word, "Witch?"_

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Harry turned to Severus as he questioned Dumbledore. "Witch!" His eyes went wide.

"I think you're mistaken, Dumbledore! I'm not a witch! I'm a boy! Boys have a penis. I have a penis!"

"Harry," Dumbledore said calmly, "you were born female."

"Why do I not remember, Headmaster?" Madam Pomfrey asked, "I was the mediwitch that delivered Harry, but I have no memory of the moment he—she supposedly—was born."

"_Restituo_." Dumbledore said with the flick of his wand.

Madam Pomfrey gasped as the image of Harry's birth. "Oh my. Mister—Miss Potter, the Headmaster tells the truth."

Sirius jumped from his chair, and flipped the bedside tray over. The potions and bedpan, and medical tools fell to the floor with a loud clatter. The echo of the crash surrounded around the group. Harry looked at his godfather with wide eyes. He had never really seen Sirius' wild temper.

Sirius used all of his brute force to spin the Headmaster's chair around to get into Albus Dumbledore's face. Remus and Severus jumped into action. In a split second, Severus and Remus had Sirius pinned against the wall.

"What did you do to my godson, you son of a bitch?" He shouted, struggling against the two holding him back.

Albus Dumbledore stood. Harry could feel his magic swirling around him, and could feel the strength of magic the man was putting out to warn Sirius that he was one of the strongest men in the history of the world.

"I did what was necessary." Dumbledore said, his blue eyes fierce. "I knew that if Neville Longbottom had been chosen as the Boy-Who-Lived, he and countless others would not survive. If Harry Potter, a child who was powerful since birth, could defeat Voldemort, several lives would be saved. The only problem was Voldemort's sexism.

"If Voldemort knew Harry had been born a girl, he would dismiss her as a non-threat and would have gone after Neville Longbottom. To save as many people as possible, I had to commit a horrible offence against one child; in putting her in danger, I saved many.

"I am not proud of what I have done, Sirius. I am happy that Harry—that Daisy, as that is what her parents wished to name her, survived. I am happy that countless others were saved from the evil that is Voldemort. I am proud that what I had planned worked, but I am not happy for the losses we did have. I am not proud that one child has been living a lie without her knowledge. I am not proud that I put an innocent child in danger. But, as displeased as I am with myself for these transgressions, I am thankful that it isn't worse."

The room was still. Labored breathing came in gasps and huffs from the animagus against the wall. Slowly, when Sirius continued to calm, Remus and Severus let go of his arms and released him from his temporary binding.

"Daisy? Daisy Potter?" A voice came from the bed, a note of disgust played in Harry's voice. "I really can't be a girl, Dumbledore. If you don't believe me—"

Harry began pulling his hospital gown up to prove to everyone that he was indeed a man, although a bit delayed in development. Dumbledore stopped him.

"Child, I promise to you, I am not lying on this account."

The usually twinkling blue eyes were serious. Dumbledore meant what he said, and this wasn't a practical joke on Harry.

"I'm a girl?" Harry's voice was quiet.

The headmaster and mediwitch nodded solemnly.

Remus sat down hard in the chair the Headmaster had vacated previously. He put his head in his hands, and rubbed at his eyes. "What should we do?"

He looked up wearily at Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey. The two looked as if to weigh their options.

"As proven by Mr.—Miss Potter's menstruation, I believe it would be unethical to keep him—her as a male." Madam Pomfrey looked at Dumbledore who nodded with his eyes closed.

"I had planned to reverse the spells when Harry was only a year or two old, after Voldemort had been defeated, and James, Lily and Harry were safe. Unfortunately, I was not able to continue those plans." Dumbledore said softly.

Harry didn't have a chance to be angry. He should have been furious that Dumbledore had altered his life the moment he was born. Right now, however, he was expected to remain composed and accept what was happening to him.

At the moment, Harry couldn't get angry. He—She was still shocked.

"I suggest we reverse the spell now." Remus said. Sirius put a hand on the back of the chair Remus was sitting in and nodded.

Dumbledore looked at Snape, who also gave a sharp nod. The five adults all looked at the young person in the bed. Harry was staring vacantly at a thread on his blanket. Dumbledore coughed and addressed the child, "Harry?"

"What?" He looked up sharply at the Headmaster. "Oh. Er." He gulped. "I suppose if you think it would be best." Harry looked over at his godfather and Remus.

The two nodded once more. Harry nodded, "Okay."

"Alright, Harry. If you would lie back, please." Dumbledore said. He reached into his long white beard and retrieved a wand; light in color that was gnarled and knotted like the original wood that belonged to the tree before becoming the wand.

Harry leaned back into the pillow behind him. Dumbledore moved to the head of the bed and closed his eyes. He concentrated a moment before he started chanting various charms that had changed Harry and her appearance over the years. He removed a spell that made Harry look identical to his father, and when that was removed, the heart shaped face that had always been visible, but obscured, stood out more. The dark black hair of Potter's father faded to a lighter black with natural red undertones. Harry was beginning to look more like Lily.

Of Harry's face, few features changed. The emerald green eyes were still the same as ever, except the lashes grew slightly longer, and the vision was nearly correct. Harry would still need glasses to read, but she should be able to see easier, especially with a good pair of glasses.

As Dumbledore's wand pointed lower to her body, different changes started taking place. Harry's chest became tender and a light deposit of fat began to appear over the once flat chest. It was hardly visible to the eye, but over time the fat would grow and develop into mature breasts. Harry's waist became a little more lithe, though it was a tad uncomfortable to the new witch. Dumbledore got to Harry's pelvis, his magic focusing more directly as there was much work to be done in that area. Harry sat up in a scream after the first few seconds when the magic started to expand Harry's hips.

His panicked cries were enough to alarm Sirius into action. "Poppy! Some pain potions, please!"

"Here!" Severus said thrusting the vial under Harry's nose. He helped Sirius get the potion to Harry's lips and tilt the vial back so the child could drink.

Harry gulped the potion down and in moments felt the pain recede. He also felt his penis recede into his and become a fully functional vagina. She reached out to pat her pelvis and discover that this wasn't all just a very bad dream. The-Girl-That-Was-The-Boy-Who-Lived promptly fainted once again. Harry's faint trademark scar stood visible through a part in her hair.

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After Dumbledore finished, reviving salts were waved under Harry's nose. She woke up with a cough and swatted the elderly man's hand away.

"Ge'way." She slurred. She covered her eyes with a slender hand and choked back a sob. Her body ached, though the pain wasn't there. She couldn't believe what had happened to her.

"D-Daisy?" Sirius said. He faltered in the name. He was as unused to it as Harry.

"What?" She asked quietly.

Sirius collapsed into a chair Madam Pomfrey brought for him. His fingers went to smooth Harry's wavy dark auburn hair that now reached her cheeks. He didn't know what to say. He could hardly ask her if she was all right. How could she be? If he had just had his—he couldn't even think it.

"I'm sorry, love." He said with defeat. There was hardly anything else he could say. But Snape could.

The dark man still stood on the opposite side of the bed from Sirius and Remus. "Oh for the love of—Man up, Potter. So you've had a change of plans. You've no merit for self-pity. Of course, Potters do have an inclination for melodrama."

"Snape. I warn you now…" Sirius growled at the black bat across from him.

Severus smirked.

Harry sat up and glared at Severus. "In case you haven't noticed, Snape, I can't 'Man up' because I'm not a bloody man, am I?" Harry took a deep breath, "And also, I'm not MELODRAMATIC." Harry roared at the man standing next to her.

"Poppy," Severus said looking at the mediwitch with a smirk, "I do believe you should administer the Periodic Mitigation Tonic."

Madam Pomfrey chuckled and quickly hid her amusement with a frown. "Severus, it's not right to tease the poor dear."

Severus had, years ago, developed a potion that helped with pre-menstrual tension that occurred in several young women. The elixir had been created specifically for Harry's mother, Lily. Lily of course, had bitten Severus' head off when he offered it to her for the first time during 'that time of the month'. The potion was a mix of essential vitamins and minerals, as well as an ingredient that relieved pain, and a calming draught. It had proved successful over the years, and was used frequently to help witches of all ages feel better when Aunt Flow came to visit.

Harry continued to glare at the Potions Master, though she was tired and weak. Dumbledore passed along some tea for the child.

Harry raised the cup to her lips, her ire still flowing from her eyes. She took a long drink knowing there would be a calming potion mixed in with the tea. She set the cup forcefully back down on the saucer when she was finished for the moment. Within seconds she started to feel more relaxed, and less enraged at Severus. She was still irritated, but she was able to forget it for a moment.

She took another sip and relaxed more fully, her vacant expression proof of the potions she had taken.

"Har—Daisy?" Remus asked, getting Harry's vapid gaze turned on him. Remus frowned when her green eyes couldn't focus on his face.

He turned to Dumbledore, "What did you slip her?" He growled. His werewolf instincts showed his inclination to protect his cub.

Dumbledore held up his hand, "Remus," His voice warned Remus that while Remus had the strength of Dumbledore, thrice over during a full moon, Dumbledore's magic surpassed that of the werewolf.

"I gave her a potion to relax." Remus pursed his lips, but didn't say anything to the headmaster.

"What happens next?" Sirius said, taking Harry's hand in his own. Harry gazed at him and her eyelids drooped slowly. She gave Sirius a loopy smile.

"Right now, I believe we should let Harry rest, and we will discuss our options in Madam Pomfrey's office."

Sirius continued to stroke Harry's delicate hand as she fell asleep. In sleep she had a look of peace, which Sirius knew was a result of the potion. Remus stood to retreat to the mediwitch's office, but as Sirius stood Harry grasped his hand tight. With a kiss to the forehead, Sirius let her hand go and let her sleep.

5/1993

Total: 18335

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A/N: Hate doing author notes, but I thought I'd let everyone know I have a forum up for the Call of Destiny. I believe it's linked in my profile. Anyway, I apologize again for the slow update. I JUST finished with school, so I spent the last day finishing my latest chapter.

I can't believe a year ago (almost to the day) I came up with the idea for The Call of Destiny. Of course, it has taken all that time to sit and stew to come to this point.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Feel free to join the forum. Feel free to write on the forum! (About anything... ask questions... whatever) Keep tuned for the next chapter I hope to have out before I start working!

~Jessica LaRae


	8. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

"Quiet, Ron!" Hermione hissed as they crept up to the hospital wing. They were crouched under Harry's invisibility cloak as they snuck down the slightly crowded corridor.

"I can't help it!" Ron hissed back, "You keep stepping on my foot! And people keep nearly bumping into us! Why can't we just put this bloody thing on right before we get to the hospital wing?"

"Because." Hermione didn't really have a reason as to why they couldn't get closer and then put the cloak on, but she knew if she admitted that to Ron, he'd rub it in her face. They were almost there anyway. The two suits of armor that guarded the hospital wing stood at rapt attention in front of the large double doors.

"Come on." Hermione ordered as she moved forward, not wanting to expose Ron's long freckled leg outside of the invisibility cloak.

They reached the doors and quietly pushed their way in to find Madam Pomfrey bustling on one side of the hospital wing and a curtain blocking off Harry's traditional bed in the back corner. The still of the room alerted Hermione that Harry was probably sleeping, and that Madam Pomfrey didn't wish to wake him or allow visitors into the wing.

Slipping behind the white curtain, they pulled the cloak off of their heads. The two took in the sight of their friend laying on the gurney. Blankets pulled up across Harry's chest made the child look smaller than she was in actuality.

"He doesn't look much different." Ron said softly, taking in the still short hair, the small frame, and his face. "I mean, his hair looks a little softer, and his face a little different, but maybe it's the light."

"Oh, Harry." Hermione softly sighed and sat down on the chair beside his bed. "Maybe he's still Harry?"

"And who, Miss Granger, do you propose Potter to be if not Harry?"

Ron about jumped out of his skin when the low voice spoke behind him. Ron's back had been to the small opening in the curtains to allow the matron to come and go as she pleased. "Bloody hell!" He exclaimed loudly.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor, Mr. Weasley. Now, Miss Granger, have you an answer?"

"I just mean—" Hermione started, but paused. "Harry, he's a girl isn't he?" She looked up at the professor, her eyes begging for a serious answer.

Behind Snape came a small cough. Remus and Sirius had finally arrived along with Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey.

Dumbledore's eyes didn't hold their usual twinkle, Remus' brow was furrowed, and Sirius' grey eyes held massive amounts of worry as he looked over at the child in the bed. Hermione had her answer.

"Madam Pomfrey," Dumbledore broke the silence, "If we may use your office for a moment?" With a nod from the medi-witch, he nodded to Remus and Sirius, "If you'll come with me, Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley. Remus, Sirius-"

"Yes, Headmaster." The two young adults said.

"Yes, Albus." Remus said. Sirius couldn't take his eyes way from his goddaughter.

Dumbledore ushered the four into the office, and sat down behind Madam Pomfrey's desk. Hermione and Ron sat to the right side of the desk and Remus and Sirius to the left side of the desk.

The elder wizard didn't offer his customary sherbet lemons or cup of tea as he would in his own office. He immediately looked at the young wizard and witch, and said, "I assume you realize the seriousness of this situation?" With their nod, he continued. "Good. I ask you to keep everything discussed here disclosed to yourselves, until the time is right. We are hoping to keep this as quiet as possible for the time being. I would like to know how you came to know of the situation before we told you."

Dumbledore's statement was not merely a comment, but a request to know what had happened to lead Hermione and Ron to the conclusion that Harry was a girl.

"Well, sir." Hermione began. Her voice held a slight upward inflection at the end of each statement, as if she didn't know the answer. "I suppose it started when Harry fainted. I got Ron from his class, and he and I went to the boy's dormitory. We wanted to get Harry's cloak, so we could come visit him here in the hospital. Instead of his cloak, I accidentally grabbed his…" She paused.

"His what, Hermione?" Sirius asked looking at her expectantly.

"Well, I accidentally grabbed his pants. Ron screamed at me to put them back, and I noticed that there was blood on them. I tested the blood with the Blood Origin Detection spell and I asked Ron if –"

"Hermione, don't tell them what you asked! It's humiliating!"

"Ron, I'm just telling them what happened!"

"Stop." Dumbledore said to their squabbling, "Miss Granger, please continue."

"I asked Ron if Ginny had been wearing his underwear because the spell said that it was from menstruation."

"I told her no, and that she was being ridiculous. Then we came to the conclusion that Harry was a girl." Ron finished for Hermione.

"Is this all, Miss Granger?" Hermione nodded, "Very well. Yes, Harry Potter is a girl. She was born a girl, and only recently reached sexual maturity. She was hidden as a boy when she was born to protect her and her family from Voldemort." Ron shuddered at the name.

"It obviously didn't work." Ron said with a frown, "Harry's parents are still dead."

"Yes, but Harry—Daisy, as his parents wished to call her—is alive."

The two were silent.

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Harry lay gazing up at the high, ornate ceiling of the Hospital wing. Her mind was reeling. Not only had Madam Pomfrey just given her the most personal physical she had ever had, but they had a long discussion about menstrual cycles, ways to contain, clean, and dispose of bloody garments, and ways to stop the spread of blood onto clothes. Her childhood as a boy had not prepared her for this. In fact, she wanted more than anything for this to just be a horrific dream, and for it all to go away.

"Morning, Daisy." Sirius said, peeking around her curtain.

That was another thing. Harry's name wasn't Daisy! She didn't want to be called Daisy, even if that's what her parents had planned on naming her. Her name was Harry. She responded to Harry. She liked Harry. She was Harry.

"How are you this morning?" Sirius came into the enclosure and sat down in the chair by her bedside.

"Can I be honest with you, Sirius?" Harry asked her godfather.

"Of course, Daisy. I want you to be honest with me."

"I've just had the most invasive physical I've ever had. I've had fingers shoved where fingers shouldn't go, and some kind of duck looking tool shoved there too. I've been talked to about how to keep things sanitary and products that will stop the blood, and spells to clean up what isn't taken care of by those products. The things I now know horrify me. I never thought that I would ever know, nor care to know, the things that I do now. Personally, I'm pretty well disturbed."

Sirius was shell-shocked. He didn't know what to say. He sat back in the winged chair, and took a deep breath.

"I suppose it means little to say I'm sorry." He frowned. "And what do you mean by fingers being shoved… If someone touched you." He sat up with the look of a hound protecting his master.

"Sirius. Stop. Look at me." That got Sirius' attention. "I was not inappropriately touched by anyone. It was necessary to make sure things had developed properly. Madam Pomfrey was the only one in the room."

Sirius sat back again and took in the face of his goddaughter. He was amazed at how much Harry had looked like James, and Daisy looked like Lily. The green eyes were still the same as they had always been, although not buried behind thick black glasses. Her hair was still black as ever, with auburn undertones, but it hung slightly longer than Harry's had hanged.

Madam Pomfrey coming in to give Daisy some soup interrupted Sirius's thoughts. "When am I getting out of here?" Harry asked Sirius with a groan as she sat up, "This is the fourth bowl of broth I've had since I've been here less than twenty four hours."

Sirius laughed and gave a small grin as he opened today's paper and began to read aloud as his goddaughter ate her broth.

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A meeting was scheduled for later that day between Dumbledore and the rest of the staff. Hermione and Ron were also permitted to come to the meeting, although they wouldn't really be at the meeting. The two teenagers would be keeping Harry company. Dumbledore had Harry, Remus, and Sirius floo from the Hospital Wing to his office for the meeting.

Harry sniffed at the clothes she had worn into the Hospital Wing. One of the house elves had obviously cleaned them, as they didn't smell dirty. She had a chance to get up and take a shower, and when she returned, her clothes were laying on the bed. She frowned when she put her pants on. They certainly didn't fit as they had when she was still a male. They were extra baggy in the front and seemed to hang a little more in the back. She shook her head and pulled her shirt on over her head. Her chest was still flat, but her nipples were tender. They felt strange against the rough fabric of the shirt. She smoothed the shirt down over her body and frowned. She pulled her huge jeans over her slender legs that were still covered in dark hair. She wondered if she would be forced to wear skirts like the other girls in her school, and secretly hoped not because she didn't think she would look good in a skirt.

A sharp knock sounded on the bathroom door, and Harry looked up. Her green eyes were slightly hidden by the fringe of dark hair covering her forehead and the legendary scar it held.

"Yes?" Harry said softly.

"Potter, I am here to escort you to the Headmaster's office."

Harry's brow crinkled in confusion, "I thought I was going by floo."

"Indeed. He was concerned, however, that you would not make it."

Harry opened the door and looked at the imposing figure of her Potions Professor. "How does he figure I'll get lost in a fireplace?"

"You make a mess of everything, Potter. You would surely find a way."

Harry walked past Snape and looked at her socks lying on the bed next to a—she froze. Her socks were lying next to a tampon and a pad provided by Madam Pomfrey. Madam Pomfrey told her that she would speak to her again about magical ways to contain the blood flow, but until then, she had Muggle means of stopping the blood flow.

Before Snape could see, Harry grabbed her socks and the Muggle stuff—she would NOT refer to them as they were—and raced back to the bathroom. Snape stood there perplexed.

A few minutes later, Harry came out of the bathroom with her socks on her feet. She had also inserted the tampon and put the pad on her underwear. Both felt really uncomfortable. She walked a little bow legged and winced as she sat on the bed to put on her shoes. Snape looked at her with a passive expression, but was curious as to why she seemed so uncomfortable now.

"Are you finished with your preparations, Potter?"

She nodded as she stood, wincing once more. She did not know why women wore tampons, if they were this uncomfortable. Much less, she didn't know why they wore both a pad and a tampon. It seemed ridiculous to her, but she followed Madam Pomfrey's orders and wore both.

She stepped into the floo and tumbled out on the other side with several people watching. Sirius was standing by the grate ready to catch her as she fell.

"Thanks, Siri." She said softly.

Sirius gently dusted off the girl, thinking that in the clothing she wore, she still looked like a boy. One thing Sirius vowed to do as soon as possible was get Harry some new clothes. Some better fitting, girl-styled clothes.

"No thanks needed, Cub." Cub was definitely gender neutral. He could call Harry—Daisy, he reminded himself—Cub and get away with it. He gently ruffled Harry's hair, but thought better of it before he ruffled too much. Daisy Potter was a young woman who wouldn't want her hair ruffled, right?

Sirius was definitely feeling a little awkward. He wasn't sure how he should act toward his goddaughter.

Harry looked around the room, noticing that a few staff members were waiting, save Snape who flooed in just a moment after she realized he was not there. Harry also saw Hermione and Ron standing in the antechamber waiting for her.

"Child," Dumbledore said gently as he stood next to her, "if you and your friends would like to wait in my apartment, until I call for you, you may."

Harry followed Ron and Hermione into the larger apartments of Headmaster Dumbledore's rooms. The three teenagers shuffled in and shut the door behind them. As soon as the door shut, Hermione launched herself at Harry, her arms wrapping around her friend tight. Harry shyly put her arms around Hermione as well.

"Are you alright? We were so worried!" Hermione said, pulling back to look at her friend.

"Yeah, mate. Are you okay?" Ron chimed in, looking at Harry with concern.

Harry didn't know what to say, really. She wasn't great, she wasn't who she grew up believing herself to be, but she wasn't awful either.

"I'm—" She paused trying to figure out a way to really describe how she felt about the entire situation. She sat down and winced as the tampon felt extremely uncomfortable to the point of painful. "Really uncomfortable." She fidgeted and stood again.

"What's wrong?" Ron asked siding up to her. "Ha-Daisy?"

Harry really wanted to tell them what started going through her head right then. Several things started flash through her mind. The fact that her tampon was digging into her insides painfully, the great dislike of the name Daisy, and the fact that she had no clue who she was now were just a few of them.

"I don't want to be Daisy Potter." Harry admitted quietly. She put her face in her hands and sniffed.

6/2430

Total: 20785

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A/N: Well, here's another chapter. Hope that was a shorter time period for you all, and didn't feel as long as the last couple updates.

I'm starting working, so time to write is hard to find, but I'm getting there.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter... and for those of you who think Harry should be angry right now... well, tough luck. She's not right this second. I promise you she will be angry and upset. But the time for that is not right.

Thanks for the positive reviews, and the not so positive ones. However, if you wish to leave a critical review, please spell correctly, punctuate and capitalize appropriately, and make it well thought out. Thanks.


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